What is IncuBusLDN?
IncuBusLDN is a startup incubator on a bus, based in Shoreditch London, at the heart of Tech City. As well as taking on startups, IncuBusLDN will play host to the community with meetup space, pop up shops and code clubs. Twice a week IncuBusLDN and Code Club will travel to teach the next generation to code at primary schools around the city.
![IncuBus Ventures Logo IncuBus Ventures Logo]()
As seen in:
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IncuBusLDN is a red Double Decker London Bus, which will be based in Red Market Shoreditch. We want to offer an alternative to going to university. The incubator programme places aspiring entrepreneurs between the ages of 16-22 within local startups for six months to gain valuable experience and exposure to life at a startup. Participants are then given six months office space on IncuBusLDN to build their own businesses. The teams will get mentors, access to workshops and introductions to investors.
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Surrounded by 100's of entrepreneurs and events in the local area, great street food and bars as well as a creative and innovative atmosphere on the bus; IncuBusLDN makes for the perfect environment for the next batch of high growth startups to come out of the already flourishing Tech City.
Why?
University fees are rising, courses aren't keeping up with the times and on the job experience is becoming a bigger factor for employers.
University is not for everyone, we want to offer an alternative which helps the entrepreneurial types create a future for themselves and ultimately for others.
By offering work experience and the opportunity to start a business IncuBus offers the latest generation entering the world of work a boost and a chance to be their own boss.
'Startup Class' and Code Club
Twice a week IncuBusLDN will leave it's parking spot at Red Market and drive out to primary schools in London. The start ups on the bus will teach the children how to be innovative and think like an entrepreneur in a Startup Class.
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Have you heard of Code Club (www.codeclub.org.uk)? Well they teach kids to code and they're coming with us too! After each 'Startup Class' we'll run a Code Club session so that as many children as possible can get a taster of how great it is to learn to code.
Who's it for?
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An alternative to university - With University fees rising and less places available, we're offering school/college leavers an alternative to university and are giving them the chance to work within a startup and then create their own.
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Event space - The bottom floor of the bus will be dedicated to meet-up space and a place for local startups to showcase their products and services in our pop up shop. The meet-up space will be free for free community startup events too.
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Primary school aged children - On it's twice weekly trips out of Red Market, IncuBusLDN will visit Primary schools around London teaching children aged 9-11 lessons in entrepreneurialism and putting on Code Club sessions.
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One big bus with so many uses!
What do we need the money for?
The bus! - Some of the money will help us buy and run the bus (MOT and all) and get it down to Red Market.
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Renovate the bus - To make it habitable we need to renovate the bus to ensure we have seating, desks, a boardroom, heating, electricity, internet, plugs and laptops to run Code Club on etc.
Rent - We need to cover rent for a few months so we have a place to keep the bus before it starts making enough money itself.
Mock up bus interior (Subject to change)
Stretch Goals
£50k - We want to install a red London phone box next to the bus which our startups and the local community can use for private phone & Skype calls. Help us teach the next generation to code! We want to help more local schools by providing pupils with extracurricular activities like learning to code.
£75k - The more money we raise the further we can travel from Red Market to host code clubs, so please give as much as you can!
£100k - We'll also be able to provide a second single decker bus which will act as a mobile boardroom for businesses across London! Oh and expand the code club reach even further afield.
For press and sponsorship inquiries email: info@incubusldn.com
![IncuBusLDN Coming Soon IncuBusLDN Coming Soon]()
Risks and challenges
Should everything run to schedule, we hope to have the bus ready and in place by the end of September. We hope to have our first round of startups working from October. This is a fairly short time frame and should there be any issues crop up this may get delayed. We hope that even with bumps along the way, the latest that IncuBus will launch will be in late October. Some challenges we may come across include delays to renovations of bus, getting the bus set up with all electrics and internet up and running in Red Market.
The Team
Rishi Chowdhury - Co founder of @OfficialYHP, online marketer at @Huddle and host of @FlagonsDen.
I've been involved in the startup scene in London for the past 3 years. I've learnt more in my past 3 years than I did from my previous 3 years doing a business management degree.
I want IncuBus to be an alternative to university for school/college leavers. This is just the beginning, the ultimate goal is to see our buses in startup hubs across the world.
Working for the future, living for the moment.
George Johnston - Currently immersed in the London tech scene, hacking and building my way to making big impact. Love every moment, especially running @blincapp, working with @huddle and co-founding the IncuBus accelerator programme.
IncuBus will help graduates struggling to find a job by making their job instead.
How can you help?
Please contribute whatever you can! We would hugely appreciate every pledge. Remember you can pledge as little or as much as you want regardless of the perks on offer.
Please share this project! IndieGoGo offers a great sharing bar under the video at the top of this campaign. Please let your network know.
Also if you feel you can help in any other way please do contact me on rishi@incubusldn.com
Remember this is all or nothing! We need the full £35k to make this dream a reality.
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