October was a month of founder stories, financial answers, new guides and a few UK Halloween traditions to enjoy this weekend.
Welcome to our October recap, and a very happy Halloween to you all! It has been a busy month on Innovator Pulse, so settle in with a hot drink (or a handful of sweets) and let us take you through everything you may have missed.
A month of questions, answered
October began with a packed live Q&A on 7 October, where founders asked about changing plans, building an evidence trail from day one, and what endorsers look for from pre-revenue businesses. We are turning those themes into articles, so keep an eye out for them.
On 14 October we ran our session for anyone still weighing up the Innovator Founder Visa. The feedback was lovely, with one attendee telling us it had helped them cut through a lot of social media rumour. If you know someone who is still deciding, we are running it again on Monday 16 November from 3pm to 4pm UK time. It is free for registered members and not recorded, so do join us live.
Then on 21 October, Richard, James and Karen worked through lots of financial questions, plus plenty more from the chat box. The big headline is that there is no minimum investment requirement when applying for endorsement. The £50,000 figure still appears as one of the optional criteria for settlement, which is a different stage of the journey. The full recap and the recording are ready for you to watch in your own time.
Innovator International
Good news and fresh faces
We shared some encouraging news on appeals this month. Over the last two months, four applicants have been successful on appeal, and in each case it came down to presenting or clarifying their business plan rather than adding lots of new information. If you are ever disappointed first time round, that is worth remembering.
We also welcomed two new members to our supplier network, Burton Recruitment and KUB, who support recruitment and digital marketing. You can meet them and see who else we recommend on our supplier network page.
Richard Harrison
And a quick thank you to everyone who applied for our Global Talent Pathway pilot, we will share more here when we can.
Founder stories and a few honest reads
Our founder story this month was Dmytro, who flew to London for one week to see his son and ended up building Ranking Copilot, a legal tech platform now serving clients in 35 countries. It is a lovely reminder of how quickly a plan can change.
Harriet Fuller
Plans changing was a theme throughout the month. Our piece on change reminds you that adjusting course is not failure, it is feedback, and that checking in honestly with your business is always worth doing, even if you decide nothing needs to move.
Innovator International
If name badges and small talk make you wince, Richard has written about how he stopped forcing himself into networking rooms and rethought how he finds customers. Tracking his working week freed up nearly 30 hours, and lead generation now takes around a tenth of his time rather than most of it.
Richard Harrison
If name badges and small talk make you wince, Richard has written about how he stopped forcing himself into networking rooms and rethought how he finds customers. Tracking his working week freed up nearly 30 hours, and lead generation now takes around a tenth of his time rather than most of it.
Harriet Fuller
A guided tour of our free visa guides
Have you explored the Visa Routes menu on the Innovator International website? Our newest article is a tour of it, explaining what each guide is for and which one suits you right now. There is something for every stage, from the Application Pack and Business Planning Guide, to the Same Business and ILR Settlement guides, plus our newest guide on defining R&D. They are free, and written by the people who assess applications every day.
Innovator International
Happy Halloween, UK style
Halloween falls on Saturday, and if you are new to the UK you may be wondering what to expect. The festival has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, and today it is mostly a fun, family-friendly night of costumes, sweets and spooky decorations.
You will probably see children (and plenty of adults) dressed up in costumes, and some will go trick or treating, knocking on doors after dark to ask for sweets. A pumpkin in the window or a few decorations is the usual sign that a house is happy to join in. If you would rather not be disturbed, simply leave your porch light off and you will be left in peace.
Pumpkin carving is hugely popular, though in parts of Britain and Ireland people carved turnips long before pumpkins arrived. In Scotland, children often go “guising”, which means performing a song, joke or poem in return for their treats. Apple bobbing and Halloween parties are also firm favourites, and many families make the most of the school half term too.
Halloween is also just the start of an eventful few days. Bonfire Night follows on Thursday 5 November, with fireworks and bonfires across the country, so keep an ear out for the bangs if you have pets or little ones!
However you celebrate, we hope you have a wonderful weekend. And if you have a favourite costume or carved pumpkin, we would love to see it - feel free to share in our General WhatsApp group!
Thank you, as always, for being part of the Pulse community. Have a spooky and wonderful weekend, and see you next week!
