Create Growth Programme: outputs and evaluation
Key outputs and stories from the Create Growth Programme which has provided over £43 million in funding to help businesses build their investment readiness and connect with investors.
This page contains resources and case studies for creative entrepreneurs, businesses or regional leaders interested in finding out more about government support for creative businesses growth journeys. A map of finance is included that provides signposting of funding options for creative start ups and scale ups.
Create Growth Programme
The Create Growth Programme (CGP) has helped thousands of businesses across the country to build their investment readiness and connect with investors. CGP has developed a model for support, including access to mentors, expert guidance on presenting business plans to financiers, and recognising and registering IP and copyright, alongside connections to suitable investors.
The Create Growth Programme has provided over £43 million in DCMS funding since it began:
- Almost £16 million has been provided to the 12 regions involved to deliver regional investment readiness support, with over 900 businesses completing cohorts to date
- Innovate UK has awarded almost £21 million in grant funding to over 430 creative businesses, with more than £5 million in private finance leveraged as match against this
- The programme has also facilitated creative businesses to engage in international showcase events such as SXSW (Austin, Texas), and Slush (Helsinki, Finland), and those much closer to home (eg Climb)
- And worked to increase investor capacity for the creative industries by developing relationships with both regional and national investor networks, with examples of success stories of CGP supported businesses that have gone on to achieve investment
More details about CGP can be found via the Innovate UK Business Connect website. See also the list of Innovate UK CGP competition winners.
This experience has laid the groundwork for future investment beyond the programme, and is informing the next phase of investment readiness support such as improved signposting, industry’s work to create a single front door, and the Creative Places Growth Fund.
Linked below are some of the key outputs and stories from the programme.
Create Growth Programme: Evaluation
Create Growth Programme: Evaluation
Creative Industries finance map
This map provides an overview of the current financial sources available to creative businesses at different stages of growth.
It reflects a snapshot in time and will be further developed through industry-led work to develop a ‘single front door’ for creative firms to access information on how to unlock private investment as outlined in the Creative Industries Sector Plan.
We are keen to hear your feedback on the map. Send us an email at creategrowth@dcms.gov.uk with your suggestions for how it could be improved.
Use your browser’s zoom setting to view the map or download the PDF.
Resources
-
Innovate UK Business Connect: Creative industries investor database
- A comprehensive list of investors within the creative industries, with a specific focus on the sub-sectors they invest in, allowing founders and other key stakeholders within the creative start-up ecosystem to understand the funding landscape.
-
Creative UK: Creating national economic growth from the English regions
- Creative UK has collated impact reporting for the CGP in the six regions where it is operating.
Case studies
Individual pathways and business journeys of creative business owners supported by the Create Growth Programme across England.
Cornwall
The Creative UK Cornwall webpage provides further details about programme alumni and impact.
Devon
The Creative UK Devon webpage provides further details about programme alumni and impact.
East Midlands
- Cande Group
- Created by TEN
- Giles Polito
- Oddsocks Productions
- Paper Starlights
- Seed Communications
- Troubador Publishing
- XYLO Worldwide
The EMC2 East Midlands Creative Consortium website provides further details about programme alumni and impact.
Greater Manchester
The GM Business Growth Hub website provides further details about programme alumni and impact.
Hertfordshire
The Hertfordshire Futures webpage provides further details about programme alumni.
Hull and East Yorkshire
- Bell4Business
- Bloom Creative
- Fly Girl Films
- High Maintenance Jewellery
- Holler Marketing
- Jay Jay Media
- Sauce Consultants Limited
- Slice Marketing
- Summit Media Limited
The Creative Growth Hull and East Yorkshire website provides further details about programme alumni.
North East
- Baesha
- Ballpoint Films
- Bamboo Media Productions
- BeamXR
- Felt Nowt
- Flamingo Heights
- Ghostwriter / Gig Lab
- Layers Studio
- Meg Fletcher
- MOTIF
- NOVAK
- Orbital
- Pasimo
- Rezon
- Schwartz Patrick Media
- Shudder Films
- So Many Stories
- ToneAlly
The Creative UK North East webpage provides further details about programme alumni and impact.
Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire
The Creative East website provides further details about programme alumni.
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
The CGN2 website provides further details about programme alumni.
South East
- Blisstopia Productions
- Fleur De Lis Classical Theatre Company
- Kalikas Armour
- Modish Muslimah
- Record Games
- Recursive
- Studio Sam Causer
- Young Soles [Video]
- Young Soles [Written]
The Create South East website provides further details about programme alumni.
West Midlands
- Advidity
- Bored Wreckers
- Borro
- Extraordinary Us
- Ghost Dog Films
- Liminal Stage Productions
- Mercurial Dance
- MIXD Reality
- Rooscreen
- SIC
- Surfing Light Beams
- Threewise
- Yamination
- Zedmill
The Creative UK West Midlands webpage provides further details about programme alumni and impact.
West Yorkshire
The Creative UK West Yorkshire webpage provides further details about programme alumni and impact.