Micro Business Incubator Hub Finalists Revealed
Micro Business Incubator Hub Finalists Revealed
Entries to the inaugural Istoria Group Micro Business Incubator Hub Competition have now closed and we are delighted with both the number and the calibre of entries.
The idea behind the competition was finding a women-led micro business in the Bristol region we could support with free office space, electricity and WiFi over a six-month period, as well as offering mentoring from our leadership team covering business, financial, PR and marketing, along with a raft of creative services from our sister agencies, including a brand review by Phoenix Wharf and a website build, courtesy of Tiny Spark.
We are now delighted to be able to reveal our four finalists for the 2023 competition:
Left to right: Hetty Brown (Bristol Achieve), Nicoleta Moldovan & Begumhan Girgin (Sassy Sisters Studio), Angela Loveridge (Better Together) and Devon Lowndes (Self Agency)
Better Together (Online Safety)
Better Together Founder Angela Loveridge helps parents keep their children safe online by signposting them towards practical tools, techniques and resources, facilitating safe spaces for those awkward safety conversations and coaching parents so they are empowered to respond, not react, in a way that will keep channels of communication open and permit constructive conversations. Angela’s innovation is to recognise that one size doesn’t need to fit all and that parents have very different parenting styles, meaning safety guidelines need to be approached without shame or judgment and aligned with the unique needs of their child / children.
Bristol Achieve
Bristol Achieve, founded by Hetty Brown, recognises that one of the biggest problems facing British schools is the gap between rich and poor and the subsequent effects of that on educational attainment and social mobility. This action-based business aims to increase the educational attainment and life opportunities of young adults with academic potential through intervention and looks to work with under-represented groups, mentees, mentors, funders and staff to ensure people from ethnic minority backgrounds in particular feel supported to thrive in whichever life path they choose. Hetty and her team’s innovation is to promote peer mentoring and focus on essential life skills, as well as encouraging reading for pleasure, which is proven to improve academic achievement.
Sassy Sisters Studio
Nicoleta Moldovan and Begumhan Girgin are Founding Partners of Sassy Sisters Studio, a new creative agency which offers graphic design services, advertising and marketing, motion graphics, packaging design, publications and typographic design. These are two hardworking women/mothers with diverse creative backgrounds, who switched careers, went back to university, and completed their education in order to follow their vision. At their studio, they produce meaningful designs for businesses, charities, and non-profits while prioritising sustainability and women's empowerment.
Self Agency
Self Agency was founded by Devon Lowndes to improve the lives of neurodivergent people in the Bristol area. The CIC-registered (Community Interest Company) agency offers organisational neurodiversity cultural development and neurodivergent community building. Devon is on a mission to educate people about neurodiversity and further the vision of everyone embracing every mind equally and realising the positive impact an all-inclusive environment can have on individuals, communities and businesses. Devon advises organisations on best practice and is working with Bristol City Council as their only neurodiversity champion. Her vision is to make Bristol THE neurodiversity city in the UK.
Once again, we’d like to thank our supporter organisations – Babbasa and Black South West Network and also our four judges:
Cecilia Thirlway, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Bristol
Matt Rogers, Head of Development at Babbasa
Istoria Group CEO Sam Rowe
Istoria Group Chief Marketing Officer Lindie Kramers.
The overall winner will be revealed very soon – watch this space!
Left to right: Sam Rowe, Lindie Kramers, Cecilia Thirlway & Matt Rogers