Launch It Trust

08/10/2026

The new season of our free business masterclass series for young Stokies aged 18-30 years old kicks off this Monday, 12th Oct— Launch It Stoke-on-Trent Start-up Smarts.🚀

Thank you for helping spread the word about this programme Daily Focus! 🙌🏽

🎟️ Book your space at joinstokestartupsmarts.eventbrite.co.uk

Aspiring and growing entrepreneurs are being encouraged to sign up for a new series of business‑boosting workshops launching in Stoke‑on‑Trent.

07/10/2026

We’re delighted to introduce Amy Thompson, the nail tech behind Jasmine Nails, one of the supported founders at Launch It Kent! 💅🏽✨
 
Amy’s journey began in South Africa at just 18, where she trained and qualified as a nail technician. After moving to the UK, she worked in nail salons but found the environment wasn’t the right fit so she took her craft home instead, building her skills independently.
 
A few months ago, Amy took on a space at our Sheerness hub and joined our two-year incubation programme, and since then, her business has been steadily growing, her customer base picking up as she settles into the rhythm of running things properly, with support from setting up her business account to ongoing 1:1 guidance from our enterprise manager and mentor through Launch It.
 
For Amy, the space has meant more than just somewhere to work and expressed that it’s a place she feels safe in and empowered to grow.
 
We’re so proud to support Amy’s journey and can’t wait to see Jasmine Nails continue to flourish. Follow her journey at .nails 💛
 

06/10/2026

From running a video production business to building her own studio, Nikita Dean-Hart’s Launch It journey shows what can happen when young founders have the space, support and community to grow. 🎥✨
 
Over two years at Launch It Kent, Nikita developed her business, expanded her services, gained confidence as a business owner and built a professional studio that is now a key part of her commercial offering.
 
Having completed the Launch It incubation programme, Nikita is now continuing trading commercially and growing NDH Productions, with ambitions to help businesses create stronger content and communicate their brands effectively.
 
We’re proud to have supported Nikita at such an important stage of her journey and excited to see what she builds next. 🚀
 
📣 Want to help more young founders turn their ideas into sustainable businesses? Collaborate with Launch It on a programme or support our work through funding initiatives. Together, we can create more opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Go to launchit.org.uk/partnerships for more info.
 

05/10/2026

One week to go til our first workshop for this new season of Start-Up Smarts Masterclasses at Launch It Stoke-on-Trent! Signed up yet? 🚀✨

Don’t miss the chance to learn from branding expert, Andrew Hope of Hope Creative who will lead a deep dive into what makes a strong brand and how you can build it for your business’ success.

The two-hour workshop will run in person at our Stoke hub at Longton Town Hall and is free to attend for aspiring & growing young entrepreneurs aged 18-30 years old. It’s a great chance not only to boost your skills but also to learn about the opportunities at the centre and connect with like-minded founders on similar journeys.

🎟️ Book your space now & make sure to check out the succeeding masterclasses: joinstokestartupsmarts.eventbrite.co.uk

04/10/2026

From running a video production business to building her own studio, Nikita Dean-Hart’s Launch It journey shows what can happen when young founders have the space, support and community to grow. 🎥✨

Over two years at Launch It Kent, Nikita developed her business, expanded her services, gained confidence as a business owner and built a professional studio that is now a key part of her commercial offering.

Having completed the Launch It incubation programme, Nikita is now continuing trading commercially and growing NDH Productions, with ambitions to help businesses create stronger content and communicate their brands effectively.

We’re proud to have supported Nikita at such an important stage of her journey and excited to see what she builds next. 🚀

📣 Want to help more young founders turn their ideas into sustainable businesses? Partner with Launch It on a programme or support our work through funding initiatives. Together, we can create more opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Go to launchit.org.uk/partnerships for more info.

01/10/2026

More moments from The Pitch Off held at Launch It Neasden, capturing a little more of what made the day so special. 📸✨
 
This is what community and belief in young people actually looks like in action. Congratulations again to all the pitch winners! 💪🏽
 
Events like this are only possible because people choose to invest in young entrepreneurs; their time, their expertise, their funding, their belief. And with over a million young people in the UK currently not in education, employment or training, that kind of investment matters more than ever.
 
If you’re a funder, partner or supporter who wants to help us create more days like this, we’d love to have you on board. Get in touch via launchit.org.uk or email [email protected].
 
Here’s to backing the next generation of founders, one pitch, one opportunity, one belief at a time. 🚀
 

01/10/2026

We’re starting off this year’s Black History Month with its theme, ‘Honouring Our Communities’, recognising the people whose everyday contributions help our communities thrive.💪🏽✨

At Launch It, community is at the heart of what we do. Through our hubs, we support young people from underserved backgrounds to turn ideas into opportunities, while creating spaces where they can connect, grow and support one another.

When young people are given the opportunity to thrive, they can become positive inspirations, role models and contributors within their own communities.

Thank you to all the people who show up, lift others up and help build stronger communities, within the youth enterprise space and beyond, today and for the future.🖤

30/09/2026

From a lack of authentic Caribbean food in Stoke-on-Trent to a thriving fusion brand with its very own shop, Launch It Stoke-supported founder Jodie Ferguson’s journey with TOJO’S is a true celebration of culture, community and growth. 🚀

It began as Mama Jo’s, born from Jodie’s Jamaican roots and a gap she spotted in her local food scene. As the business grew, so did its story, bringing in Nigerian cuisine through her partnership with co-founder Tobi, and evolving into TOJO's- Stoke: a name built from both their heritages and a menu built on real fusion.🥘

Since accessing business support from Launch It Stoke-on-Trent, Jodie has brought real structure to the business, gaining a much clearer understanding of how to run and grow it properly.

She credits our enterprise manager, Gemma Bourne, for guidance, support and connections that opened doors and removed barriers along the way, including a standout moment catering Launch It’s event at Longton Town Hall, which helped build exposure, credibility and led directly to further corporate catering opportunities. 💯

Now, TOJO’s has reached an exciting new milestone: the opening of their main shop at Eagle Works Business Park. Jodie, shared: “The experience has helped us grow not only in revenue, but also in confidence, professionalism, and long-term business thinking.”

From market stalls to a shop of their own and future pop-ups around town, Jodie and TOJO’s are proof of what’s possible when culture, passion and the right support come together. 🚀

👏🏽 We’re so proud to support this journey & can’t wait to see where TOJO’s goes next. Find out more at tojos.co.uk. More about how we support young entrepreneurs like Jodie at launchit.org.uk/stoke-on-trent

28/09/2026

What an incredible day! The Pitch Off was everything we hoped for and more.🚀✨

We are so proud of these talented founders from our London hubs who battled it out for a share of £2K funding to put into building/growing their business, and the standard was incredible. After some serious deliberation, here are your winners:

🥇 Serene Azu, SMA Hair UK, who delivered a brilliant pitch to take the grand prize
🥈 Kelly Arekion, Shop Galactica
🥉 Nick Sergiou, Step With Serg
🎖️ Sumayah Richards, Sumofia & Eve Bawuah, Evie’s Treats
 
Huge congrats, everyone! Standing up to pitch your business takes real courage and every one of you did an outstanding job.
 
A huge thank you to everyone who made the day so special:
🎙️ Our host, trustee Rupert Tyer
👏🏽 Our CEO, Amber Wright, for welcoming everyone and sharing about our work & impact
🌟 Special guest alumna Mary Otumahana, who built her multi-award-winning CIC, The RecShop, with Launch It’s backing more than a decade ago and continuing to be a shining example of what this support can do
🤝 Our pitch coaches, who shared their expertise before the live pitches: Joyce Green, Richard Kelly, Mary Otumahana, Hamish Roberts and Charles Skinner
⚖️ Our pitch judges: David Thompson, James Wilding and Esther Godwins, a former Tottenham Launch Iteer who is now one of our trustees
 
Programmes like this remind us why we do what we do. With over a million young people in the UK not in education, employment or training, entrepreneurship can be a powerful pathway to a better future, but it needs backing to grow.💛

👉🏽 If you’re a funder, partner or supporter believes in backing the next generation of business founders and would like to help us create more opportunities like this, we’d love to hear from you. Go to launchit.org.uk for more info or email [email protected] 
 
Until the next one! 💯