Everything you need to know about applying to BGV’s Tech for Good programme

It’s June, which means we just opened applications for our Autumn 2024 Tech for Good programme! There has never been a better time to join – you’ll receive £60,000 for 7% equity from BGV’s new £33m fund, meet a community of ambitious tech for good founders, and take away practical insights that will support you in building a successful business. 

This post is the first in a series on demystifying our selection process. Future posts will dive deeper into our application form, showing what makes a strong answer for each question.

Alright, let’s get started. 

‍What are the steps involved in applying for the programme? 

It’s quite straightforward! There are two main steps: 

1. Apply for the programme by the 28th of July. 
2. If successful, have a 35-minute interview with a panel consisting of our team, founders and mentors between the 23rd and 30th of August. 

After we finish all interviews, our team will take approximately two weeks to select a cohort, conduct any follow-up due diligence and send out offers to all teams. 

What are you looking for in applications? 

We are looking for ventures using technology to address pressing social and environmental issues. From a practical perspective, we are looking for early-stage ventures suitable for our investment (e.g. you are a company limited by shares), incorporated (or soon will be) in the UK and can participate in our hybrid programme. 

Assuming that is you, we will then assess the following areas: 

• Problem scale and importance; 
• The strength of your solution;
• Potential to improve outcomes for millions of people;
• Commercial potential to achieve £100m valuation; 
• Product progress and validation; 
• Team skills, insight and experience of working together. 
• BGV’s fit as an investor for your venture. 

‍What are you looking for in interviews?

We assess the same criteria as during the application stage. Interviews allow us to get to know each other and better understand your approach to building a profitable and impactful tech for good business.

‍How do you ensure a fair application process? 

 At BGV, we believe that solving pressing problems requires changing the distribution of opportunity and increasing diversity and inclusion among the founders we invest in. 

That’s why fairness was an important priority in the design of our selection process. 

• We operate a ‘no warm introductions needed’ policy. All founders apply for investment using the same process. 
• To reduce bias, each application is reviewed by at least four people, including BGV staff, portfolio founders, and mentors from our community. 
• We combine quantitative scoring and qualitative assessments in our investment evaluation process to ensure a data-driven approach to select top-performing ventures. 
• We offer reasonable adjustments to ensure all founders can apply. 
• Our team runs open drop-in sessions and Q&A events to support you in the application process. 

We are always open to feedback on how we can improve the process further, so please do reach out to hello@bethnalgreenventures.com if you have any suggestions.  

‍Before you apply… 

Visit our website for more information on our offer. 

• Look out for posts in our blog on best practices from top applicants to our programmes. 
• One reason we may not accept you into the programme is if your idea competes with one of our portfolio companies. See who we’ve invested in so far here.
• Check out this page to sign up for our Q&A events or submit a form to talk to our team. 
• To stay up to date with all the latest tips and information on applications, follow us on X and Linkedin or sign up to our newsletter.

‍Applications will be open until 23:59, 28th of July 2024. Good luck!