Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko.
Founder Notes · Webinar

Over 350 People, and 5 Ways Innovate UK Business Connect Can Support You

After the Innovate UK Business Connect webinar on 19 October 2026: from Petiole Pro in 2017 to MooMore's IP this week, and the five ways the AgriFood team supports startups and growing businesses.

Understanding the Innovation Journey 📍Online
The webinar on a video call with 356 people: David Crole, Jamie Tong, Phoebe Kay and Fran McIntyre on camera, a column of attendees' initials, and Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko in the corner tile.
Understanding the Innovation Journey, online, 19 October 2026: David Crole, Jamie Tong, Phoebe Kay and Fran McIntyre on camera, Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko bottom right, and 356 people on the call.

Over 350 people joined us yesterday for the webinar organised by Innovate UK Business Connect.

I'm sure there are easily ten times more people who are genuinely interested in starting a business in the UK and getting the official business support from the UK Government.

At the webinar, I spoke a bit about how I've been supported since 2017 with Petiole Pro. And now, literally this Friday, I have a meeting with my knowledge transfer partner to talk about intellectual property for MooMore and some other aspects of the founder's journey 🐮

The main point: whether you're a startup or big enough to think about scaling your business, there's a suite of support that fits your needs.

To name a few, here are the 5 ways Innovate UK Business Connect can support you 👇

1. Sector newsletter

Free funding calls, insights and events in your inbox. The team really works hard to collect everything relevant, and I read every issue 🙏

Carousel slide 01, Sector Newsletter, free, with a beetroot. From my journey: Every time it arrives, I scroll for opportunities. It's been my habit since 2017.
01 · Sector Newsletter.

2. Webinars

Free sessions to learn and connect with people in your niche. The next webinar in the series "Understanding the Innovation Journey" is on 8 December, about mentoring.

Carousel slide 02, Webinars, free, with a cow looking into the camera. From my journey: Thought-provoking and people-linking with those who are in your niche topic.
02 · Webinars.

3. Events

Brokerage events, workshops and the annual AgriFood Innovation Showcase (I've attended most of them!)

Carousel slide 03, Events, with an Innovate UK stand counter printed with bowls of beans: Brokerage events, workshops, networking mixers and the annual AgriFood Innovation Showcase, where startups exhibit and pitch. From my journey: The first event I ever attended in the UK was a free agrifood meeting organised by Innovate UK Business Connect.
03 · Events.

4. Sector experts

As I mentioned, a company has a Knowledge Transfer Manager who helps to refine your idea and makes warm introductions.

Carousel slide 04, Sector Experts, with a calendar invitation for a 1 hour 1-2-1 meeting: Knowledge Transfer Managers who refine your idea, spot new markets and make warm introductions. From my journey: An AI can give you a list, but it's not a person who listens and knows who you should meet.
04 · Sector Experts.

5. Support as you grow

Help is available at each stage. Whether it's investor readiness, IP rights or the search for university partners for a consortium: explain your innovation and ask.

Carousel slide 05, Support As You Grow, with a pound coin: For more established businesses, the support goes beyond the basics. From my journey: Need support with IP rights? University partnerships? Investor readiness? Yes, they can help with that too.
05 · Support As You Grow.

Where to start?

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And as you remember, our rule number one is: missed opportunities never come back 💚

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All five ways on eight slides: 5 ways to get support from Innovate UK Business Connect (PDF, 0.7 MB)

Don't miss this one.

PS: thank you to Fran McIntyre, Phoebe Kay, David Crole, Karen Souza, Maria Basilisco, Jamie Tong and Shelley Martin for an amazing event 🙏

And if you missed the invitation, here is why I wish I'd called Innovate UK Business Connect on day one.