You've built a business. Now, where do you want to take it?

You've built a business. Now, where do you want to take it?

Why we're bringing Smart Scale to the South West's creative technology founders.

By Lucy Paine, Entrepreneur in Residence, University of Bath

There's plenty of support available when you're starting a business. But once you've got customers, a team and some real traction, where do you go for support with the next stage?

The challenges are different. You're thinking about building a stronger sales pipeline, recruiting the right people, managing cash flow, perhaps raising investment, and finding the time to make decisions about the future.

It's a stage of business that doesn't always get the attention it deserves.

That's why we created Smart Scale at SETsquared Bath.

Following a successful first programme with health and life sciences businesses, we're now bringing Smart Scale to established creative technology founders across the South West.

If you're running a creative tech business and thinking about your next stage of growth, we'd love to hear from you.

Find out more and register your interest

Learning from the first Smart Scale

We wanted to create something that gave founders the time and space to work on their businesses, rather than constantly dealing with the day-to-day.

That meant bringing together experienced speakers, practical advice and a group of founders who could learn from one another. We also wanted to look beyond the numbers, exploring leadership, confidence, personal ambitions and what it actually takes to grow a business sustainably.

Our first programme brought together 21 participants from health and life sciences businesses and achieved an overall rating of 9.3/10.

One founder summed it up rather well:

“Brilliant programme, focusing on scaling, rather than start up. Amazing speakers, fantastic sessions, very insightful and inspiring.”

What stood out for me was the value of the conversations between founders. Hearing how someone else has tackled a similar challenge, having your thinking questioned or simply getting a fresh perspective can be just as valuable as hearing from an expert.

Why creative technology?

The South West has a diverse and growing creative technology sector, from immersive experiences and digital production to businesses developing innovative applications of emerging technologies.

These founders know their technology. What we're interested in is helping them build stronger businesses around it.

Whether that's moving beyond project-based income, developing new markets, strengthening the team or making decisions about investment, there are plenty of challenges worth exploring together.

And we don't want to make assumptions about what founders need.

I speak individually to everyone interested in joining Smart Scale to understand their business, ambitions and current challenges. Those conversations help us shape the programme and brief our speakers, so we're discussing what really matters to the people in the room.

It's an important part of how Smart Scale works.

Looking ahead to 2027

Smart Scale Creative Technology is fully funded by the University of Bath and runs over five Wednesdays from 18 November to 16 December, at the University of Bath Innovation Centre.

Five days away from running your business is a commitment, but it's also an opportunity to give some proper attention to decisions that can otherwise keep slipping down the list.

As we approach the end of 2026, it's a good time to consider what you want your business to look like next year, and what needs to happen to get there.

I'm looking forward to bringing another group of founders together, hearing about the businesses they're building and helping them work through what comes next.

Applications close 30 October 2026.

Find out more and register your interest for Smart Scale Creative Technology