Sussex Innovation Centre launches new membership package

The Sussex Innovation Centre has announced the launch of a new membership scheme designed to provide the benefits of its award-winning support services to even more regional businesses.

The business incubation hub, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of Sussex, is now offering the ‘Network’ package to high-growth companies that are seeking mentorship and strategic advice, but do not require office space or administrative services.

The Centre will continue to offer its existing ‘Tenant’ and ‘Virtual’ membership packages for businesses looking to set up a base or make use of the facilities at its premises on the University’s Falmer campus, just outside of Brighton.

The new membership scheme is designed for businesses that are looking for a supportive team to help them get their idea off the ground. Priced at £40 per month, it provides access to subsidised sessions with any of the Centre’s experienced business support team, to consult on strategy, finance, marketing and sales, PR and communications, or business research.

As a growth engine supporting jobs creation in Sussex, the Centre can offer discounted tailored support packages to selected businesses with high growth potential. This support has been made available through last year’s City Deal Award, and enables more entrepreneurial businesses to access the specialist expertise and resources available at the Centre on a 50-100% subsidised basis.

Two such businesses that currently enjoy the benefits of this funding are Qaboo, a location-based marketing company that have installed media screens in a fleet of taxis across Brighton and Hove, and Red Box Company, a social enterprise that repurposes phone booths into micro-businesses, staffed by the homeless and long-term unemployed.

“The Centre’s support has been crucial as we launch our service in Brighton,” said Anthony Parkins, founder of Qaboo. “The funded strategic sessions have helped us to take a holistic approach to our sales and marketing activity and work really closely with their team, rather than having to pick and choose what we can allocate budget for.”

“Launching a new idea can be a busy and uncertain time, and it’s sometimes difficult to know how to balance the competing priorities - especially when you need to generate revenue while you take your new idea to market,” said Mike Herd, Executive Director of the Sussex Innovation Centre. “With this new membership scheme, we will help you to break down the process into manageable chunks, and work with you to create a step-by-step project plan that takes your idea forward, using all of our resources, skills and strategic knowledge.”

The Sussex Innovation Centre is a growth engine for Sussex, and specialises in helping high-growth businesses to scale their operations efficiently and sustainably, through strategic advice and access to customers, networks, investors and funding. If you’d like to find out more about the Centre and what it could offer your business, visit www.sinc.co.uk to fill out an enquiry form, or call 01273 704 400 and ask to speak to Peter Lane or Claire Pasquill.

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