Three tips to apply for BGV’s Spring 2025 Programme

We’re excited to announce that applications for BGV’s Spring 2025 programme are now open! We’re looking to invest £60,000 into 10-15 businesses using technology to drive positive outcomes for people and planet. So if that’s you or someone you know, and want to get BGV involved in your startup journey to impact and scale, then read our top tips and apply.

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1. Ask your questions during Q&As and drop-in sessions online.

As impact investors investing in a broad range of businesses, founders often ask us what exactly we’re looking for, how we’re assessing teams, what our selection process involves, etc. We pride ourselves on our transparency. All the necessary information about our firm and our investment offer can be found on our website here. This transparency is not only for your benefit, but also to ensure that you can thoroughly evaluate us, because we understand the importance of who ends up on your cap table.

We operate on a “no warm intro needed” principle. This is why we ask each founder who wants to speak to BGV to express their interest for a 1:1 drop-in session with BGV. Founders from our most recent programme told us that meeting with us and discussing their business directly gave them confidence to apply. So if you’re unsure whether you’re at the right stage, how BGV can level up your business, or just want to ask a few questions, then fill out our form, and we’ll invite you to a drop-in session, subject to availability.

We also host regular online Q&A sessions so you can learn more about BGV, how we invest, how we support founders and more. Join us for our next session on 20th December to get a glimpse under the BGV hood, and importantly, ask us your questions!

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2. Use AI sparingly (or not at all) when writing your application.

When we selected teams for our Spring 2024 cohort, we asked people if they used AI to answer any part of the application form. A good third of applicants used some form of AI to streamline their answers and adhere to the character limit. We stopped asking this question, because it is often glaringly apparent when people use AI to answer our questions. One thing we’ve noticed is that answers to quite fundamental questions – explaining the problem you’re trying to solve or what impact vision you have for your business – have become incredibly generic. We are looking for founders that are passionate about the businesses they’re building, so make sure your answers convey that effectively.  

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3. Read through our impact reports and blog.

We publish a lot of content and have lots of founder resources available that give you a better understanding of who we are as a firm and guide you to answer some of the crucial questions in the application form. Check out our impact reports of the past, BGV’s Impact for Startups Guide, and blog posts with tips on how to answer questions about impact and team, with more to come.

All that’s left to do is to apply before 5th January 2025! We look forward to reading your applications.