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Sony Music UK supports third year of Black Founders Programme to scale deep tech startups in creative industries
Sony Music UK is proud to continue its partnership with Digital Catapult and Sony Music Publishing UK for the third year of the Black Founders Programme, supporting early-stage Black-founded deep tech startups at the intersection of creativity and technology. This year, Channel 4 joins as a new collaborator, broadening the programme’s reach across the UK’s creative industries.
Applications are now open for the 2025 edition, which will support up to 15 startups through a 14-week programme offering mentorship, investment guidance, product consultancy and access to deep tech facilities – helping founders scale their businesses and bring innovative solutions to market.
Since launching in 2023, the Black Founders Programme has supported 20 pioneering companies, with alumni including Flossy AI, which enables fans to remix artist merchandise using artificial intelligence and secured pre-seed investment following its participation.
The programme tackles the lack of VC funding for Black founders, with just 38 having received backing between 2009 and 2019. It offers vital access to networks, resources and expert support to help close the gap and drive innovation.
Hari Ashurst-Venn, Senior Director of Digital & New Tech, Sony Music UK, said: “We are proud to support the third edition of the Black Founders Programme. Building on the momentum of previous cohorts, with some securing investment and others partnering with Sony Music on innovative, high-impact projects, we’re thrilled to welcome a new group of entrepreneurs. We look forward to the fresh ideas and perspectives they will bring as we continue to champion diversity and drive innovation across the UK’s creative and technology industries.”
Jessica Rushworth, Chief Partnerships Officer at Digital Catapult, said: “Our interventions lay important foundations for supporting early-stage deep tech startups that otherwise might not get the opportunity. Now in its third year, the Black Founders Programme has evolved in line with what entrepreneurs need and value – we’re helping to create the right environment for these businesses to flourish, from developing a network of mentors, investment and industry contacts, to access to facilities and practical deep tech support that might not be available to these small businesses without our help. We’re excited to partner once more with Sony Music UK and Sony Publishing UK, and we are thrilled to welcome Channel 4 onboard as a collaborator for the 2025 edition.”
Applications are open until early October, and you can apply here. The programme is open to early-stage and pre-seed startups solving problems in the creative industries, with at least one founder who identifies as Black or multiracial with Black heritage.