New round of support for Hackney’s small businesses
More than ninety entrepreneurs and small businesses in Hackney are set to be offered support to scale-up and access new business opportunities as the latest phase of Hackney Impact launches this week.
Funded by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, the six-month programme will offer practical workshops, one-to-one coaching, mentoring and peer networking, all designed to equip small businesses in Hackney with the skills, confidence and connections they need to thrive.
While Hackney’s local economy has grown at the fastest rate in London over the last ten years, the aim of the programme is to help businesses and entrepreneurs thrive and meet some of the challenges of running a business, such as a lack of networking opportunities, rising costs, access to finance and public-sector procurement opportunities.
This is the second phase of the Hackney Impact initiative, and follows the successful first phase in 2024/25, which supported 339 businesses, created over 115 jobs and safeguarded over 65.
This phase will be promoted first to businesses that were underrepresented in the first round of funding - particularly those led by Bengali, Charedi, Kurdish, LGBTQIA+ or younger entrepreneurs.
The programme is commissioned by Hackney Council and will be run by Allia Impact Ltd, Hackney Cooperative Developments, Social Founders, East Ends Trades Guild and Renaisi-TSIP. Hackney Impact has received £188,000 from the Mayor of London and UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
I’m really excited to relaunch Hackney Impact to provide dedicated free business support to our much-loved local businesses to scale and grow. As a council we are doing all we can to support local small businesses thrive whether that’s by making it easier to contract with the council or through programmes like Hackney Impact.
This year, we’re particularly keen to make sure the opportunities are available to businesses from underrepresented communities, who we know form the backbone of Hackney’s business community. We want to build the resilience of these businesses by helping them become more sustainable and providing training to help them make the most of procurement opportunities from large businesses and the public sector.
Cllr Sam Pallis, Deputy Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy
The previous phase of Hackney Impact supported 339 businesses, creating over 115 jobs and safeguarding over 65.
Businesses that want to find out about some of the opportunities available in the Hackney Impact programme can visit: https://www.hackneyimpact.com/
Businesses that want to find out more about opportunities, support and events for them can join the Hackney Business Network: https://www.hackneybusinessnetwork.co.uk/