Startup Discovery School
Startup Discovery School is a London-based accelerator and venture builder that designs climate-focused innovation programmes for corporates and underrepresented founders in the UK, Africa, and South Asia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Startup Discovery School does
Startup Discovery School (SDS), founded in 2020 and headquartered in London, designs and runs climate-focused innovation and venture-building programmes for startups and corporates. Its core offerings are accelerators, incubators, hackathons, and pitch competitions — including Women in Impact (24-week accelerator), Just Transition (UK-government-funded business support), Building Greener (Islington-funded pitch programme), the Climate InnovateHer Hackathon, and the Climate Champion Competition in South Asia — delivered through regional entities: Startup Discovery Asia, Startup Discovery School Africa, and adjacent investment arms Sahara Impact Ventures and Future Impact Ventures. The stated mission is enabling an inclusive Just Transition by equipping underrepresented founders (74% women-led in 2024) with capital, mentorship, and networks for climate-focused ventures.
SDS operates a services-based business model with two principal revenue streams. The first is corporate innovation programmes where partners such as HSBC, Samsung, AWS, Imperial College London, and Connected Places Catapult pay for bespoke accelerator and incubator delivery (professional services). The second is government-funded programme delivery, where bodies such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, London boroughs of Camden/Islington/Lambeth, and Islington's Carbon Offset Fund finance programmes that allocate grants to participating startups (managed services). Distribution combines direct enterprise engagement with self-serve programme applications via the website. Reported 2024 outcomes include 60+ climate ventures supported, £3M+ raised by women-led ventures, £4.3M+ in grant funding facilitated, £45.6M+ cumulative investment raised by the founder community, and 80+ jobs created. The company has 1–10 employees and Co-Founders Mandy Nyarko (MBE) and Gosbert Chagula.
Startup Discovery School firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Startup Discovery School
- Legal name
- Startup Discovery School
- Website
- https://startupdiscoveryschool.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Startup Discovery School is a London-based accelerator and venture builder that designs climate-focused innovation programmes for corporates and underrepresented founders in the UK, Africa, and South Asia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Startup Discovery School industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Climate Innovation Accelerator Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Entrepreneurship, Business & Innovation Camps (EDAMALAL)
Keywords
Where Startup Discovery School is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Startup Discovery School business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Corporate Innovation Programmes: Bespoke accelerator, incubator, and innovation programmes designed and delivered for private and public sector clients. Companies pay for customized programmes that help them engage with climate-focused entrepreneurs and achieve their ESG goals.
- Government-Funded Programmes: Programmes funded by UK government bodies including UK Shared Prosperity Fund, London boroughs, and Carbon Offset Funds. These provide grants to participating startups (up to £7,500-£15k) rather than generating direct revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | Building Greener - Free Dragon's Den-style pitch programme |
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | Just Transition - Business support programme |
| Hybrid | Multi-year contract | Women in Impact Accelerator - 24-week programme |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Startup Discovery School product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Startup Discovery School designs and delivers climate-focused innovation and venture-building programmes for early-stage founders and corporate clients. Its core offerings include accelerators (Women in Impact, Venture Studio), incubators (HSBC Student Incubator, Lambeth Net Zero), pitch competitions (Building Greener, Climate Champion Competition), and hackathons (Climate InnovateHer), supplemented by grant funding (up to £15k per startup), mentorship, and corporate partnership introductions.
Product overview
Startup Discovery School operates a portfolio of innovation programs focused on accelerating Just Transition climate solutions across the UK, Africa, and APAC regions. The core offerings include accelerator programs (Women in Impact, Venture Studio), incubation programs (HSBC Student Incubator, Lambeth Net Zero), hackathons (Climate InnovateHer), and pitch competitions (Building Greener, Climate Champion Competition). Regional variants include Startup Discovery Asia and Startup Discovery School Africa, with sister initiatives such as Sustainable Women's Network, Sahara Impact Ventures, and Future Impact Ventures providing investment and community support. The organization partners with corporations (Samsung, HSBC, Imperial College London), government bodies (Lambeth Council, Camden, Islington), and ecosystem catalysts to deliver bespoke programs that equip founders with capital, resources, and skills for climate-focused ventures.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Startup Discovery Asia: Fostering innovation among youth, women, and marginalised communities in South Asia to address social, economic, and climate challenges.
- Startup Discovery School Africa
- Sahara Impact Ventures
- Future Impact Ventures
- Sustainable Women's Network
Products and services
- Just Transition Business support programme offering up to £7,500 in grant funding for UK businesses based in Camden, Islington, or Lambeth working on climate challenges including energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy, waste reduction, biodiversity, sustainable mobility, and green skills.
- Women in Impact Accelerator 24-week accelerator for early-stage and seed startups operating within the sustainability domain, designed for female founders looking to grow a business with turnover of £50k+ and 18+ months trading. Includes bursaries for eligible female founders.
- Building Greener Free Dragon's Den-style pitch programme supporting Islington-based entrepreneurs working on innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions from buildings, with up to £15k in grant funding available.
- Startup Discovery Asia
Quantifiable outcome
- 60+ early and idea stage ventures supported in 2024 alone
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Startup Discovery School
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Startup Discovery School technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Startup Discovery School partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Islington CouncilcoreCollaboration on Building Greener programme, a free Dragon's Den-style pitch programme. Funded by Islington's Carbon Offset Fund with up to £15k in grants available.
- Capital EnterprisecorePartnership for the Just Transition programme powered by Startup Discovery School in partnership with Capital Enterprise. Just Transition is funded by UK government through UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
- Kumasi Hive & HC TalentcorePartnership to organise the Innovation Hackathon in Ghana focused on Agri-Tech, Climate Action and Renewable Energy. 18 startups pitched their business ideas with top three receiving starting capital.
- Connected Places CatapultmajorPartnership on CPC: AC programme helping the built environment tackle their 50% sustainability target.
- HSBCmajorPartnership on HSBC Student Incubator reducing inequality in wealth creation by supporting BAME students with entrepreneurship skills.
- SamsungmajorPartnership on Solve for Tomorrow programme supporting tech for good ideas improving education, sustainability, social isolation, and diversity.
- Lambeth CouncilcorePartnership on Lambeth Climate Programme (including Climate InnovateHer Hackathon) and Lambeth Net Zero to foster diversity in climate tech and accelerate net zero within the borough.
- Imperial College LondonmajorPartnership on Green Together - an inclusive business platform for individuals passionate about environmental sustainability and social impact.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)majorTechnology partner providing cloud infrastructure and support for startups in the ecosystem.
- Be the BusinessminorNot-for-profit movement helping firms improve performance, offering 'Rebuild' programme for SMEs.
- Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN)minorPartnership on Global Alliance Africa to strengthen and scale local innovation in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Startup Discovery School competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hatch Enterprise: UK social enterprise that delivers incubation and accelerator programmes specifically for underrepresented founders in London and across the UK. Direct overlap with SDS's Women in Impact and climate-equity positioning, and in fact one of SDS's named ecosystem partners.
- EIT InnoEnergy: EU-backed sustainable energy innovation hub running accelerators, incubators and investment support for clean-energy startups. Direct comparable to SDS's CPG: AC (Connected Places Catapult) and Climate programmes in the clean energy/built environment verticals.
- Climate-KIC: EU-backed climate innovation accelerator running pan-European (and increasingly global) acceleration, incubation and programme design for climate-ventures. Highly comparable to SDS's Just Transition mission and programme-based B2B/B2G model, though operating at significantly greater scale and with public funding.
- OneTech: London-based innovation hub and accelerator supporting underrepresented (BAME, women) founders in tech and climate. Direct UK peer for SDS, sharing founders, funders (HSBC, AWS) and a similar DEI-led programme model.
- Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused incubators and accelerators operating across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Closely comparable to SDS on cross-regional delivery for impact entrepreneurs; broader in scope but very similar on programme design and corporate partnerships.
- Capital Enterprise: London's specialist growth agency for innovative businesses, a named partner of SDS for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund-funded Just Transition programme. Comparable as a UK-based programme operator connecting startups with capital, corporates and government.
Broad incumbents
- Antler: Global early-stage VC and accelerator operating cohort programmes across Europe, Asia and Africa, with an accelerator manager at SDS (Stefanie Mulder) previously at Antler. Comparable in geographic footprint and cohort-based accelerator model, though broader in vertical scope.
- MassChallenge: Global non-profit accelerator with strong climate/clean-tech and impact tracks. Comparable as an equity-free, programme-driven model supporting underrepresented founders; broader geographically but operates a similar ecosystem-catalyst positioning.
- Techstars (Sustainability/Climate programmes): World's largest pre-seed accelerator network, including sustainability- and climate-focused programmes. Highly comparable on accelerator delivery mechanics and corporate partnerships (Samsung, HSBC are Techstars partners), but at much larger scale and with equity stakes.
Regional players
- Greentown Labs: North America's largest cleantech incubator, running accelerator-style programmes for climate and clean-energy founders. Comparable on climate-tech programme delivery and corporate sponsorship model, but US-focused and operating at much greater scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Startup Discovery School social profiles
Digital presenceStartup Discovery School financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Startup Discovery School leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Startup Discovery School subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Startup Discovery School funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Startup Discovery School M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Startup Discovery School
What does Startup Discovery School do?
Startup Discovery School designs and delivers climate-focused innovation and venture-building programmes for early-stage founders and corporate clients. Its core offerings include accelerators (Women in Impact, Venture Studio), incubators (HSBC Student Incubator, Lambeth Net Zero), pitch competitions (Building Greener, Climate Champion Competition), and hackathons (Climate InnovateHer), supplemented by grant funding (up to £15k per startup), mentorship, and corporate partnership introductions.
Is Startup Discovery School a public or private company?
Startup Discovery School is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Startup Discovery School founded?
Startup Discovery School was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Startup Discovery School based?
Startup Discovery School is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Startup Discovery School make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Corporate Innovation Programmes are the primary driver. The others are government-Funded Programmes.
Who are Startup Discovery School's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hatch Enterprise, EIT InnoEnergy, Climate-KIC, OneTech, Impact Hub and Capital Enterprise. Broad incumbents are Antler, MassChallenge and Techstars (Sustainability/Climate programmes). Greentown Labs is listed as a regional player.
Does Startup Discovery School have an API?
No public API is recorded for Startup Discovery School.
What industry is Startup Discovery School in?
Startup Discovery School's product category is Climate Innovation Accelerator Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of EDAMAHAC, Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.