Welcome to this week’s newsletter. It’s a founder story week, so we’ll get some news snippets out of the way, before our story that proves how quickly plans can change...
And, please do make sure you scroll right to the end of this newsletter to see our new feature, presenting the new members of our supplier network!
Appeal numbers update
We'd like to start with a piece of information that we hope will provide some confidence for people who may not be successful at the first time of application. When we compiled our bid to the Home Office for our proposal for this Visa route, we believe we were the only endorsing body who provided a free opportunity at a second assessment and an appeal at no further cost.
Until recently, you may have heard people suggest on social media "what's the point of appealing – there has never been a successful case?". Whilst it may sound negative, this was actually a credit to our assessment process because it suggested we were getting it right before the point of appeal.
However, we're actually quite happy to let you know that over the last two months we've had four successful appeal cases. In each case, they didn't need to provide significant additional information but clarify misunderstandings within their business plan, presenting them in a different - maybe clearer - way.
We hope this provides you with extra confidence in the process we provide to make sure that all suitable applicants for this Visa route are successful.
Global Talent Pathway: Update
Many thanks to everyone who responded to our request for participants on our Global Talent Pathway pilot programme. We are currently working through the many applications that we received and we will be getting back in touch with everyone next week.
More information to follow here!
Founder Story: When one week becomes an entire lifetime
Dmytro booked a flight to London for one week, to spend half-term with his son. He had spent almost twenty years building a distinguished legal career in Ukraine, and a quiet week away was all he had in mind.
Then, in February 2022, his plans changed while he was still in the UK. “I decided to make the most of the opportunity,” is how Dmytro describes what came next. He looked at where he had landed, saw that London is one of the startup capitals of the world, and decided that if he was going to be here, he was going to build something.
That something is Ranking Copilot. Dmytro went looking inside the industry he knew best and found the task that had frustrated him most as a lawyer: preparing law firm submissions to independent ranking directories. It never stops, it’s entirely manual, and it matters enormously to a firm’s reputation. Ranking Copilot turns a firm’s past work into structured, connected data, and the platform is now growing into pitches and fee proposals too. His clients already span 35 countries.
There’s plenty in the full story for founders thinking about the UK, including what surprised Dmytro about SEIS and EIS, how he found the Innovator Founder Visa route, and the advice he’d give anyone following in his footsteps. Read his full story now!
Harriet Fuller
You don’t have to love networking to build a business
This one comes from our co-founder Richard, who will happily admit that networking events make him deeply uncomfortable. Rather than forcing himself to work the room, he rethought how he finds customers.
Richard shares what he learned, from choosing where you want to compete, to going where your ideal customers actually spend their time. When he tracked how he really spent his working week, he freed up nearly 30 hours. Lead generation now takes about 10% of his time rather than 90%, and he says he sleeps better too. If the thought of a room full of name badges makes you wince, this one is for you.
Richard Harrison
Meet the new suppliers in our support network
A new feature within our newsletter provide information on new suppliers to our network. This week, we're proud to introduce Burton Recruitment and KUB, who support your digital marketing needs. Have a look at what they do and watch the interviews below:
Innovator International
Innovator International
And if you want to see who else we recommend, have a look at our supplier network here:
Richard Harrison
What you told us about our webinar
On Wednesday morning we ran “Thinking about the Innovator Founder Visa? What you need to know”, and we’d like to thank everyone who joined us.
We understand that choosing this visa can feel complicated, and finding information that’s accurate and genuinely helpful isn’t always easy. There’s a lot of rumour and conflicting advice out there. So we wanted to give anyone interested the chance to hear the facts directly from us: what the route is, what you need to do to apply, and how to decide whether it’s the right option for you.
Here’s what some of our attendees had to say:
“This really helped me understand what the Innovator Visa is all about. Thank you, Innovator International.”
“I’ve read so many things on social channels about this visa, and many proved to be untrue!”
“It’s not that complicated at all. Thanks for helping me uncover the facts.”
“Simple and easy to follow. This has made my mind up about it being the best visa for me.”
“Thank you for answering all my questions. The discussions were so valuable.”
Many thanks for all your wonderful feedback. We’ll be hosting this webinar again on Monday 16 November from 3pm to 4pm UK time. It’s free and open to all registered members, and it won’t be recorded, so do join us live. Register below:
Innovator International
Coming up
You can see all our upcoming online live webinar events, finding the registration links on our Upcoming Events page. We’re also planning more in person events, including through our collaboration with Venture Cafe, so keep an eye out for news.
Innovator International
Lots to think about, until next time we hope you have a great rest of your week.
