Everyone has ideas. Where could yours lead?
AskBEN is a community innovation hub for anyone with an idea worth exploring. You don’t need a business plan. You don’t need a company. You just need the idea.
Got an idea? We would love to hear it.
AskBEN is the front door to a national network that finds and backs ideas from Black founders, workers, students and communities. If you have spotted a better way of doing something, this is where your journey starts.
You don’t need a business plan.
You don’t need to have started a company.
You don’t need experience or qualifications.
If your idea could make a difference, we want to hear it.
What is the AskBEN Community Innovation Hub?
AskBEN is a DIGIsheds™ Community Innovation Hub, run by TIN Ventures. It is a starting point for people with ideas, and the first step on the ENZO™ Venture Pathway. We look at every idea carefully and, where we can help, connect you with support that fits your idea and how far you’ve taken it.
Share it
Tell us your idea in nine plain questions. Rough answers are welcome.
Shape it
Mentoring, workshops and introductions matched to where your idea is today.
Grow it
A clear route to investment for ideas that are ready to scale.
Good ideas are everywhere. Access to the people and money that grow them is not. AskBEN exists to close that gap.
Who can share an idea?
Anyone can. We are especially keen to hear from:
- People with a new idea to explore
- Students and recent graduates
- People in work who’ve spotted something that could work better
- Community groups, faith groups and social enterprises
- People looking for a fresh start
- Businesses looking to try something new
What support could I get?
Support is shaped around your idea and where you are with it. That might mean:
- One to one mentoring from people who have built businesses
- Practical workshops on the things that trip ideas up
- Help shaping your plan and testing it with real customers
- Introductions to the right people and networks
- Routes to grants, loans and investment when you are ready
Every idea is assessed in the same careful way, so the support offered fits where you are.
Some ideas for ideas
Ideas can come from anyone and be at any stage. Here are a few places they often start.
Making things
A better tool, part or process for making or fixing things
Cleaner power
A way to save energy, cut waste or use cleaner power
Art, media and design
A game, app, film, fashion or design idea
Keeping people safe
An idea that keeps people, places or information safe
Apps and technology
Tech that solves an everyday problem
Money and saving
A better way to save, borrow, invest or manage money
Health and care
Something that helps people stay well, get better or care for others
Helping other businesses
A service or tool that helps other businesses grow
Something else
Your own brilliant idea
Your idea remains yours
We only use what you tell us to explore whether we can help. We never publish or share your idea without your permission, and TIN Ventures takes no stake or rights in it for reviewing it.
What happens when I share my idea?
- Share your ideaFill in the form: nine questions, about 15 minutes.
- We say thank youYou get an email to confirm your idea has arrived.
- We review your ideaA small team reads every answer and grades readiness.
- We consider how to helpWe match your idea to the right support and people.
- We get back to youWith an offer of support or other useful directions.
- We work with youWhere we can help, we start on the pathway together.
The nine questions
Our form asks nine plain questions. Together they build the nine blocks of a Business Model Canvas, so your idea arrives already organised. Tap a block to see what each question is looking for.
What is your idea, and what problem does it solve?
Describe the idea in a few sentences, then the problem behind it. The clearer the problem, the easier it is for us to see the value.
Every answer goes straight to our idea inbox at AskBEN.CIH@tinventures.co.uk, filed against the nine canvas blocks so our team reads every idea the same way and grades it on the Five-Dimension Readiness Scale™.
Start the nine questionsWhere your idea could go: the ENZO™ Venture Pathway
AskBEN covers the first two stages of a six-stage pathway. Most ideas start at Reach. Some move quickly; others take their time. Every stage has a clear gate, so you always know what comes next.
Reach
You share your idea through AskBEN and we get to know you.
Grade
We assess readiness across five dimensions and agree next steps.
Build
You test and shape the idea in a safe sandbox.
Bridge
A working demonstrator in front of real customers.
Deploy
Launch into market, including export through BEEP™.
Prove
Show the results that unlock investment and scale.
The Five-Dimension Readiness Scale™
We grade every idea on the same five dimensions, so feedback is fair, clear and useful.
- Technology
- Supply chain
- Commercial
- Investment
- Governance
The Venture Innovation Loan™
Once a venture proves it works by reaching £60,000 in revenue, it can open a staged Venture Innovation Loan™ of £30,000 to £100,000 and a place at our Investor Showcase.
Levers of Change UK: our theory of change
AskBEN is the first public programme of Levers of Change UK, a compact founded by two organisations who share one view: Black enterprise is held back by the system around it, not by a shortage of talent or ideas. Change the system, and the ideas will flow.
Creating narratives + Building movements + Deepening learning = Systems change + Inclusive growth
Led by Alex Cole, CEO
A venture studio and impact investor working where enterprise, academia, government and community meet. TIN brings the ENZO™ methodology, the DIGIsheds™ hub model and the route from idea to investment.
Led by Karl George MBE
A live community of Black C-suite leaders, owners and non-executive directors of medium-sized and larger organisations, starting in the Midlands. BCON highlights senior Black leaders in every sector, measures where they are under-represented, and gives them a platform to engage. It brings governance expertise and the leaders who open doors.
Creating narratives
Change the story about who innovates. AskBEN makes every idea visible and every founder’s journey count.
Building movements
Connect founders, board leaders, investors and communities into one network that acts together.
Deepening learning
Turn every submission and every grade into evidence of what works, shared openly with the system.
- The problem
Bottlenecks and blind spots in finance, networks and governance keep good ideas from capital.
- What we do
An open front door, readiness grading, mentoring, board leadership and a clear venture pathway.
- What we deliver
Ideas captured and graded, founders supported, leaders placed on boards and advisory roles.
- What changes
More investment-ready ventures, and blended finance that reaches them sooner.
- Long-term impact
Inclusive growth, lasting Black business ownership and wealth that stays in communities.
Our theory of change is aligned to the Levers of Change work of Dr Gillian Marcelle and Resilience Capital Ventures: analysing root causes, advising the people who hold power, and acting directly to change systems through narratives, movements and learning. It also draws on her Triple B framing of bottlenecks, blind spots and blended finance. Reference to this published work does not imply endorsement.
Before you start
The form takes about 15 minutes. You can save it and come back later. We will ask about:
- You, and how to get in touch
- Your idea and the problem it solves
- Who could benefit, and how they would find it
- How far you’ve taken your idea so far
Don’t worry if your idea isn’t finished. AskBEN is here to help you take the next step.
Ready to share your idea?
If you have an idea that can make a difference, this is where your journey starts.
Share your ideaFAQs
Do I need a business plan?
No. We are interested in ideas at every stage, from a single sentence to a trading business.
Is AskBEN only for Black founders?
AskBEN is designed to reach Black founders and communities who are under-served by business support today, as positive action under the Equality Act 2010. Anyone is welcome to share an idea.
Will my idea be kept private?
Yes. Only the small team reviewing ideas will see it. We won’t share or publish it without asking you first, and you keep full ownership of your idea.
How long does the form take?
About 15 minutes. There are nine questions about your idea, plus a few about you.
Does it cost anything?
No. Sharing your idea and receiving feedback is free.
What happens next?
You’ll get an email to confirm your idea has arrived. Our team will review it and come back to you, either with how we can help or with other useful directions.
How do I contact the team?
Email AskBEN.CIH@tinventures.co.uk and we will reply within five working days.