Advise the Next Generation of Innovative Tech Businesses
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- Esme Caulfield
- 5th July 2022
- 7 min read
Overview
Join this programme, especially designed for the Tech Nation alumni community, to leverage your experience as an advisor, secure paid opportunities, and start shaping the next generation of innovative businesses
Apply to start advising Tech Nation’s newest cohort of businesses, learn advisory best practice, network with advisory peers, and develop your advisory portfolio with a Tech Nation endorsement.
For £999 (+VAT) you can take advantage of this professional development opportunity, which includes a half-day workshop, streamlined endorsement process and advisor-business matching.
Applications close 28/11.
Becoming an advisor
Advising scaleups comes with plenty of challenges…
It can be difficult finding the right advisory opportunities and turning these into commercial relationships - or to stand out in a network-driven market.
Not to mention the challenge of staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the scaleup ecosystem and with advisory best practice.
So we’ve created a tailored programme to help you enhance or kick-start your advisory career.
Benefits
Why become a Tech Nation endorsed advisor?
- Stand out: Demonstrate your quality, credibility and value to businesses with a Tech Nation endorsement
- Stay up-to-date: Keep up with a fast-paced market with the latest in best practice, scaling insights and personal branding tips
- Start advising: Get matched with a Tech Nation business looking for support and start building advisory relationships
Why join the programme?
- Learn how to package up your expertise and refine your advisory value proposition and brand
- Extend your network with fellow advisors and learn from experienced advisors
- Receive an endorsement from Tech Nation that communicates your advisory value to the scaleup market
- Gain advisory opportunities
- Receive guidance on finding, interacting and engaging with businesses incl. how to structure the commercials
- Get the latest insights into the scaleup market to tailor your advisory offering to the challenges businesses are facing right now
What people have said about the programme
Programme outline
- Apply - Applications to the programme close 28/11 and are accepted on a rolling basis.
- Learn - Attend a half-day workshop to finesse your advisory skills, network, and receive market insights. The workshop will be held online on Friday 2 December, 9.00am-1.30pm.
- Get endorsed - Complete our streamlined endorsement process and receive your aspiring, experienced, or expert advisor badge. Define your value proposition and key advisory preferences so we can deliver you the best match possible
- Advise - We match you with an interested business, so you can start advising and put everything you’ve learnt into practice.
For £999 (+ VAT) you can take part in this great professional development opportunity, land quality paid advisory roles, and help shape the next generation of innovative business.
This opportunity is being run in partnership with Invigorate Platform, the UK’s first insight-led scaleup advisory platform.
Who it’s for
If you are interested in being paid to advise innovative new businesses, searching for a professional development opportunity, looking to diversify your experience and stand out, or just want to make an impact on the next generation of startups, apply to join!
This programme has been designed for alumni who have held at least one exec-level position in a business that has participated in a Tech Nation programme.
Leverage your experience, establish your credibility and start advising today. Apply to join, spaces are limited.
The details
Applying to the programme
You can apply to our programme by filling out this short five-minute application form. The programme is open to anyone who has executive-level experience in a business that has been part of a Tech Nation programme.
If you'd like to find out more about the programme, join us at our Ask Us Anything session at 12.00pm on 16 November 2022 or check out our FAQs
Applications close on Monday 28 November 2022. Successful applicants will then be notified by email.
The programme costs £999 (+VAT). Payment can be made at point of application or any point before the training on 2 December. Discounts are available if more than one person in the company wishes to apply for the programme. Your business may be able to cover this cost as part of the Learning and Development budget.
More on the course and networking event
Our half day workshop will be delivered by Invigorate CEO, Lauren Stewart and includes:
- Module 1 - The role of an advisor, advisory best practices and governance structures
- Module 2 - Defining your advisory value proposition and building a brand to enhance your credibility
- Module 3 - Advisory business models, effective marketing and defining your ROI
- Module 4 - Defining your ideal advisory engagements, effective client discovery techniques and constructing an advisory proposal and commercials (equity v cash)
- Module 5 - Advisory success metrics and reviews, the scaleup ecosystem right now and common businesses challenges per stage
Experienced advisors will join to share practical learnings and experiences advising and scaling businesses such as Deliveroo, Google and Revolut.
The session is also designed for you to meet advisory peers, and make connections. The best advisors build an advisory community around themselves for future opportunities and shared learnings.
The workshop will be held online on Friday 2 December 2022, 9.00am-1.30pm.
Getting endorsed
Following completion of the training course, you’ll be invited to provide us with more information about your advisory preferences.
Here you can put your new knowledge to use, writing a short value proposition with your expertise and interests so that we can match you with an appropriate business to advise.
We will also ask you for up to three references from businesses you’ve worked at or advised. These are used to determine your level of experience, so that we can categorise you as either an aspiring, experienced or expert advisor.
All three levels of advisors will be allocated opportunities, but they help us (and businesses looking for help on the Growth Platform!) work out suitability, to ensure everyone can get the most from the opportunity.
The matching process
We will match endorsed advisors who complete the course with at least one business from Tech Nation’s September cohort of growth programmes.
Depending on numbers and interest, you may receive more than one match, and will be free to pursue all of these opportunities if you choose. The businesses you will be matched with will all have indicated a desire to receive advisory support, ensuring a good probability of you converting this opportunity into a paid role.
Once we have made the match, you and the business will be introduced to each other via email – and from there it’s up to you to start working out the details of how you will work together.
Partners
This opportunity is being run in partnership with Invigorate Platform, the UK’s first insight-led advisory platform for scaleup businesses.
Invigorate has trained and worked with over 300 UK advisors who have held exec positions at Deliveroo, Uber, Revolut and Expedia.
During this programme Invigorate will be sharing their market leading expertise in scaleup advisory and data-driven learnings from their platform which has helped hundreds of investor-backed business grow and scale.
FAQ
How is a business advisor different from a non-executive director or executive consultant?
A business advisor provides advice to a business on specific challenges the business is facing – anything from designing a GTM to restructuring a department. This advice can be very high-level or quite practical, depending on the arrangement.
Unlike non-executive directors, advisors do not have any governance responsibilities, and can be hired to give advice on any issue – rather than only board-level strategy.
Advisors are different from executive consultants as they are not hired as temporary full-time members of staff. Instead advisors negotiate hours with the business, allowing them to support multiple businesses at a time. This makes business advisors a more flexible and affordable option for many scaleups.
I have never been an advisor before, can I apply?
Of course! If you meet the requirements we posted above (exec-level, a Tech Nation alumnus, and keen to get involved) then now is the perfect time to develop that experience into an advisory career.
Advising another business is a great opportunity to develop experience outside your current role, give back to the community, keep yourself on the cutting edge, and to make some extra money!
So if you have knowledge now that you wish you’d had at seed, Series B, or even just 3 months ago, you can apply here.
I have advised many businesses already, should I still apply for this?
Our course is designed to be accessible and valuable for advisors at any stage of their career. It will cover up-to-date best practice, practical challenges, networking opportunities, and advice on tailoring your USP and profile to the challenges of the Tech Nation community. The endorsement will also serve to help businesses looking for credible advisors find you and open up the door for further opportunities.
Completion of the course will also be required to acquire Tech Nation endorsement and access to the current cohort of businesses on tech Nations growth programmes
Do I have to prepare anything in advance of the course?
Participants may also find it useful to start looking into potential references in advance of the course, so you can get matched and advising ASAP.
Asides from that, you’re all set!
What will I receive after the course?
Once you complete the endorsement process, you will be awarded a badge to show you are an approved Tech Nation advisor. You will receive a pdf certificate for your own record.
By the end of the programme, you will also have access to best practice resources, a new network of advisory peers, and warm leads to cultivate.
How will businesses and advisors be matched?
Advisors will be matched with businesses that have indicated that they would like help, based on that particular business’s challenges and the experience of the advisor.
We base this off of the information you provide in your application and when completing our endorsement process.
All businesses will be a part of Tech Nation’s 2022 cohort of growth programmes.
Will I be paid to advise the business I’m matched with?
We leave it up to you to work out a commercial agreement with the business you are matched with.
However, as part of the training we will provide advice and best practice on setting and negotiating fees, so you can confidently handle this process and start advising.
