Scaleup programmes
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Business Vitality (formerly INSPIRE ELITE)
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Over the past year, 84 scaleup leaders have received intensive support through the Business Vitality programme—formerly Inspire Elite—to develop structured three-to-five-year growth strategies. The programme offers peer-to-peer networking, Meet the Expert webinars, annual growth reviews, and quarterly one-to-one mentoring with carefully matched NEDs.
Originally launched in Swindon and Wiltshire by Inspire after attending the ScaleUp Institute’s inaugural Driving Local Economic Growth through Scaleup Ecosystems course, Business Vitality now operates across Bristol, Somerset, and the Heart of the South West region. Inspire identified that many business leaders struggled to articulate their growth strategies, limiting their ability to attract investment. In response, it launched the Knowledge Accelerator in 2021, combining interactive workshops and one-to-one support to help scaleups create investment-ready strategies.
In 2024, the programme deepened its focus on leadership development through one-to-one meetings and peer events, both online and in-person. Inspire’s NED mentoring programme, The Inspired Board, has doubled in size, with over 60 businesses now participating. Scaleups report greater resilience, a stronger strategic focus, and improved efficiencies, even amid rising operational costs. 58% have increased turnover, 116 new jobs have been created, and most participants are progressing further with The Inspired Board.
This year also marks the first outcomes of Inspire’s Business Transformation proposition, a bespoke initiative helping ambitious businesses scale rapidly. It provides hands-on support from business experts and an Inspire Account Manager across key areas: investment readiness, leadership development, operational excellence, market expansion, and building a strong organisational culture. The first two projects, both led by Goldman Sachs Alumni, have delivered outstanding results, with the programme set to expand further.
As Business Vitality continues to grow, the ScaleUp Institute will keep monitoring its progress and impact, ensuring scaleups receive the support needed to strengthen leadership, unlock growth potential, and build resilience.
