As anyone who has the Innovator Founder Visa is aware, intellectual property can be the difference between you achieving and missing out on your ILR or settlement.
In our latest webinar, we discuss what this means and how to achieve it. The best thing? Our IP partner Panoramix IP offers our members a free clinic to help you understand what IP exists within your business and what you need to do to protect it.
Get all the key information from the recap below, including the link to book your session with Panoramix IP:
Innovator International
Have you recently received your endorsement or Visa from Innovator International?
This month, we are restarting our welcome sessions to onboard founders who have recently received their endorsement or Visa from Innovator International. This gives you a chance to meet other people in a like-minded situation, but also to find out more about how we can help you with your next steps.
If you have not received an email regarding the forthcoming welcome sessions, please contact us, and we will forward you an invite.
How chocolate coated crisps help you think out of the box
We've all hit that wall in brainstorming sessions—the moment when an expert declares something impossible. But what if the problem isn't the idea itself, but the limitations of our industry's thinking?
In our latest article, Richard Harrison shares a breakthrough moment from a confectionery workshop where the challenge seemed simple: create a chocolate-coated crisp. The expert's verdict? Impossible. The crisps would shatter during the coating process.
But here's the twist—by removing industry-specific assumptions and reframing the problem in universal terms, the team went from "it can't be done" to three viable solutions in just five minutes. The secret? Borrowing processes from completely different sectors.
Discover the Features-Benefits-Application framework that can multiply your sources of innovation by an order of magnitude, and learn why the best answer to your toughest challenge might already exist—just not in your industry.
[Read the full article: How chocolate coated crisps help you develop new ideas →]
Five minutes with Innovator Business Coach Ali
Tell us a little about you - where are you from and what's your professional background?
I'm a proud Welsh woman from Pembrokeshire, mum of two, and unofficial taxi service for all their sporting activities! I started as a teacher but got disillusioned with OFSTED, so I made the leap to PGL. I worked my way up from "groupie" (Group Leader) to Centre Manager, then moved into L&D where I created leadership programmes and trained as a Coach through Oxford Brookes. After five years testing my leadership skills as a Customer Service and Sales Manager, I decided to back myself and launch my own coaching business. Now I split my time between Innovator, the Leadership Trust, and my own clients - all focused on helping people reach their potential.
How did you first cross paths with Innovator International?
Karen (from Innovator International) and I worked together at PGL. When she rang to tell me about Innovator and asked if I fancied coaching international entrepreneurs, I was hooked!
Give us your best fun fact about yourself?
I'm sat here, realising I'm not very fun! (Joking... but genuinely can't think of anything!)
If you could pitch a business to the Dragons, what would it be?
I'd appeal to their social conscience! I want to create programmes that help young adults and emerging leaders build self-awareness, confidence, resilience and identity - so they can live happy, successful lives. Plot twist: I'm actually building this right now, just waiting for the perfect group to trial it with before seeking investors!
You're hosting international entrepreneurs for dinner - what's the one British thing you'd insist they experience?
I'd take them somewhere we see Britain at its best - maybe a local charity fun run or school fete, followed by a rugby match. Sport brings people together brilliantly, and rugby, especially, has this wonderful way of leaving all the rivalry on the pitch. Once that final whistle blows, it's all camaraderie and mutual respect. That's Britain worth sharing!
Our WhatsApp groups are now live – welcome! You should have received an email with a link to sign up to the groups you are eligible for. Please contact us if you haven't received your notification yet.
As always, don't forget to have a look at our daily news on Innovator Pulse, including our latest Innovator Story:
Five months for a dishwasher. Three months for a washing machine. Three weeks for a fridge—in summer!
For Sergey Nasonov, moving to London wasn't a cultural shock. It was an infrastructure shock. And after years building software for Intel, BMW, and AWS, he realised something remarkable: we can order dinner, book rides, and video chat across continents from our phones, yet reporting a broken tap still feels like sending smoke signals.
The final straw? An Octopus Energy engineer who couldn't complete a job because his ladder was one rung too short. Insurance rules meant he had to leave empty-handed, losing his bonus over 30 centimetres of aluminium.
"I understand safety rules," Sergey says, "but sometimes they complicate things." Read his full story now:
Harriet Fuller
Have you explored our Pulse website yet?
Innovatorpulse.com is packed with useful resources - you can access practical business templates and guides in our Documents section, including business plan templates, risk registers, and founder guides to help you build and grow your UK business.
