Two key partners in the Glasgow City Innovation District, Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Business School, have joined forces to prepare and equip Glasgow's ambitious innovative enterprises to 'scale up' by developing a special programme - iGAP @ Tontine.
With over £100 million of innovation investment, Glasgow City Innovation District is bringing together government, industry and academia to harness and build upon a base of research expertise, industry engagement and a pipeline of high-quality, work-ready graduates to help to grow innovative companies of scale.
Glasgow City Council's Tontine business accelerator attracts and nurtures high growth entrepreneurial talent and is host to many of Glasgow's significant growth companies of the future.
Strathclyde Business School runs the pioneering Growth Advantage Programme which delivers relevant, accessible and practical learning for the leaders of ambitious businesses in Scotland looking to scale up. The programme has been running since 2015 to great acclaim and its combination of world class executive education and the power of peer learning has demonstrated significant impact for the growth companies that have taken part and has been endorsed by the ScaleUp Institute. Drawing on this experience, Strathclyde Business School has worked with Glasgow City Council to develop a specially tailored programme - iGAP@Tontine - for a select group of Tontine clients.
iGAP will be a six-month programme with three two-day workshops dedicated to the areas important to high growth firms, namely Market, Leadership and Resource. The design of the programme will allow participants to share their own learning over time, supported by diagnostic tools and take away tool kits to use back in their own organisations. This method encourages participants to take ownership of their own development and coach their management teams, ensuring the direct relevance of the programme to the needs of each venture and its leadership team.
Each programme is delivered by the top entrepreneurship faculty from the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship and directed by peer learning expert John Anderson, former chief executive of the Entrepreneurial Exchange.
John, Head of SME Engagement at Strathclyde Business School, said, "We're delighted to be offering this programme to current and past clients of the Tontine. Helping our innovation-driven businesses to scale up is so important for their future economic growth and the economic growth of Glasgow itself.
"This is not for new start-ups but is designed to address the key issues facing existing businesses which have achieved customer traction but with real growth ambitions."
Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council and chair of the Glasgow City Region City Deal Cabinet, said, "This specially created learning programme is a valuable addition to the package of support offered to enterprises at Tontine and is a testament to the power of partnership working.
"Equipping and preparing businesses to scale up will help to create high-quality jobs and encourage growth more quickly.
"This venture in collaboration with a key Glasgow City Innovation District partner, is another example of the vital role Tontine plays in the economic growth of the city."