Workshops, networking events and ongoing opportunities
We’re here to help businesses in our community thrive by offering tailored resources, expert-led workshops, practical training sessions and valuable networking events. Whether you’re a start-up or a well-established company in Newham, our goal is to support your growth, connect you with other local businesses and wider partners and provide access to essential tools and knowledge.
Explore our upcoming events, discover specialised training programs and join a thriving network of like-minded professionals. Together, let’s build a resilient and successful business community.
Upcoming August events
NCC: Speed Networking
Tuesday 12 August – 7:30-11am
Aloft London Excel E16
This event aims to be a high-energy and fun networking event designed to supercharge your connections, hence, your requested to arrive on time. You’ll leave with a stack of contacts and maybe even a few new collaboration opportunities.
This event is FREE for current NCC members. Attendees will enjoy breakfast and to maintain a focused and meaningful experience, entry is capped at 50 attendees on a first come, first serve basis.
Building Better
The Future Industries Demonstrator (FID) advances London’s Just Transition by helping local SMEs scale innovative solutions. Based at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London’s living testbed and Innovation District, FID accelerates the development of technologies and ideas tackling the city’s most urgent challenges.
The fourth innovation cycle titled Building Better (launching soon) is looking to support SMEs working towards:
- Improving indoor air quality
- Delivering solutions that lowers energy bills and carbon emissions.
- Scaling nature-based solutions that support healthier, more sustainable buildings.
- Advancing digital tools and models that proactively predict and manage risks.
- Empowering residents and building users through accessible information and engagement strategies that drive positive behavioural change.
- Providing innovative methods to measure and demonstrate the real-world impact and efficacy of health, comfort, and sustainability improvements.
For more information
Help to Grow Management Programme
The Help to Grow Management programme aims to help business leaders boost their leadership skills and improve business performance.
The programme is 90% Government-funded, and the enrolment fee for each learner is £750. The full fee would be £7,500.
Help to Grow will be running an information session in September at our office. To express your interest email us.
Master AI. Own Your Future
AI isn’t the future. It’s happening now! Foundervine, in partnership with the Centre for Public Impact, is launching Pulse to help founders and professionals across the UK get confident with AI. Whether you run a business or work in one, this programme is designed to give you the skills to adapt, stay ahead, and work smarter.
Foundervine will deliver three high-impact cohorts for business owners. You can join in-person or virtually. For more information:
Ongoing Opportunities for businesses
Grow London Local
Grow London Local will give you free access to all the support you need to help grow your business. Explore our online library for events, support programmes and expert-led content designed to help you achieve your business goals.
Newable
Newable helps companies thrive by providing the essential resources they need to take the next step with their business. They support companies of all shapes, styles and sizes because variety and diversity fuels a thriving economy. Click on the above link to view its upcoming events/webinars.
Google for Startups
Google for Startups supports growing startups to utilise its resources, classes, connections and expertise to build their technical skills and knowledge.
It runs a number of programmes including:
- Startup School: Provides practical workshops on training for startup founders and their teams, covering topics including SEO, user experience and Google ads.
- Residency: Supports growth-stage startups to make the most of Google’s products, connections and best practices. Startups benefit from tailored mentoring, as well as access to workspace.
- Live sessions: A virtual event series bringing together Google experts, industry leaders, venture capitalists and coaches to support founders with their questions.
- Immersion (black founders): A 12-week skill-building mentorship programme for Black-founded startups. It prepares founders to grow their businesses, raise funding, and advance their leadership skills.
- Immersion (women founders): A 12-week mentorship-focused programme connecting women-founded startups from across Europe with Google resources.
Click here to find out more.
Hear from a consortium of respected speakers to discuss the incredible value of having a more diverse and inclusive supply chain.
Samuel Wilson's Loan Trust for young people
Samuel Wilson's Loan Trust is a charity which offers business loans to young people aged 18-39 who are "in need by reason of ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantages" to establish and develop new businesses.
The maximum loan is £50,000 starting at 2% interest. Please note that, as part of the application process, a robust business plan with detailed and realistic financial forecasts is required.
Help to Grow: Management Course
The Help to Grow: Management Course is designed and delivered by entrepreneurs and industry experts from world-class business schools. It provides:
- access to 12 weeks of learning designed to fit alongside work commitments
- development of a bespoke business growth plan to help your business reach its full potential
- 1:1 support from a business mentor
- networking opportunities
The programme is 90% funded by the Government so you only pay £750.
The Mayor of London’s scrappage scheme for businesses
The Mayor of London’s new scrappage scheme for vans and minibuses has been designed to further tackle the negative impact of toxic air pollution in London. It will enable eligible SMEs and charities with ten or less employees to replace polluting vehicles that don't meet the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) emissions standards – ULEZ is expanding to include outer London on 29 August.
The scrappage scheme offers six grant payment options. We encourage Newham businesses who aren’t ULEZ compliant to consider trading up to a fully electric vehicle using either a grant of £7,500 for a van or £9,500 for a minibus.
Queen Mary University of London's qNomics Programme offers free business services ranging from advice and training on business finance to planning, market research and expansion.
This free advice and support is delivered by students from Queen Mary's School of Economics and Finance under the supervision of expert practitioners who volunteer their services as part of their commitment to pro bono work.
