On this page we are sharing a range of helpful resources from the Open University and our partners.

For a solid business model and entrepreneurial skills support, visit the main Open Business Creators page for helpful resources. NatWest also provide outstanding resources specifically for women in business.  There is also a wide range of support available through the NatWest Accelerator App. If you're looking for some 1:1 mentoring on a specific area of business, we recommend the Digital Boost platform.

We are also hosting a 3-part webinar series across October and November, where we will be engaging a group of inspirational women who are changing the world around them. This series is designed to support you with the confidence, capabilities, and connections you need to succeed.

To get the webinar links, please sign up using the links below. 

Webinar 1: Confidence - Tuesday, 21 October (12:00 - 13:00) | View the recording

Webinar 2: Capabilities - Wednesday, 5 November (12:00 - 13:00) | View the recording

Webinar 3: Connections - Tuesday 18 November (19:00 - 20:00) | View the recording

Further Resources

If your business or idea is a social enterprise, check out Social Shifters for loads of great, supportive content:

Social Shifters - From Passion to Action for Social Change

If you need further demo videos of Validate, please look at:

Resources - SimVenture Validate

We have also made our own video walk through of Validate to help you get started.  

We can keep a secret

If your idea is something that no one else has thought about yet, don’t worry.  Details of your business idea will be stored securely and only accessible by the shortlisting panel and judges.

Feel free to reach out to us at Open-Business-Creators@open.ac.ukanytime if you have questions or need alternative formats to the materials provided here. We also welcome your feedback on this opportunity.