London College of Communication launches graduate incubation programme, LCC Accelerate
- Written byChloe Murphy
- Published date 15 March 2023
Share story
Becoming a successful creative practitioner not only involves developing your subject knowledge, but also learning how to navigate the landscape of your chosen career. At London College of Communication (LCC), we support our students and graduates to grow the skills they’ll need to establish themselves in their practice while making a living doing what they love.
Our new graduate incubation programme, LCC Accelerate, has been designed to empower emerging creatives with big ideas to take their own business concepts to the next level. Over the course of 12 weeks, graduates engage in a series of sessions chaired by industry professionals, with insights tailored to illuminate different areas of entrepreneurship ranging from ideation to finances and marketing.
Throughout the process, participants learn how to build and launch new business ideas, familiarise themselves with necessary start-up tools and frameworks, and explore successful approaches to creating a viable product, service and distinctive brand. They also have opportunities to grow their professional networks, gain pitching experience, access mentoring, and learn how to articulate the vision for their own enterprise.
"To turn their ideas into reality, and make a positive impact on society"
Luminita Molico, Graduate Futures Manager at LCC, explained that the development of LCC Accelerate was inspired by a greater number of students opting to make their mark as freelancers and business founders after graduation rather than taking more traditional employment routes into industry.
"London College of Communication has successfully piloted the first edition of LCC Accelerate - an exciting initiative that supports recent graduates in achieving their entrepreneurial creative career ambitions.
"As Graduate Futures Manager and initiator of the programme, I responded to the increasing number of recent graduates choosing the entrepreneurial route and decided to set up this programme alongside our already extensive Graduate Support offer." she said.
"As a creative business incubator, the programme aims to empower graduates by nurturing their own business ideas, with the goal of helping them kickstart their own enterprises as freelancers and entrepreneurs after graduation. By providing support, resources, and mentorship, LCC hopes to help these graduates to turn their ideas into reality, and to make a positive impact on society.
"This project aligns perfectly with LCC's core values of tackling climate change, promoting diversity and social inclusion, and supporting positive change across the world around us. We're excited to see the long-term impact that this initiative will have on the future of our graduates' careers and our own wider College community."
After a competitive selection process, the first iteration of LCC Accelerate launched in February 2023. 12 business concepts were chosen, which represent 4 collectives and 8 individuals across Design, Media and Screen:
- Renee Materials, an initiative that establishes Circular Material Hubs (CMH) within creative institutions. (Vassi Deij and Frieda Bischoff, MA Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures)
- Half-Half Films, a collective production house featuring a diverse roster of creatives from within the global majority. (Soham Kundu and César Mota, MA Film)
- mirri, which champions artisan craftmanship in contemporary products and establishing textile archives. (Jessy Heikrujam, Maggie Bourlet and Naomi Healing, BA (Hons) Design Management // BA (Hons) Surface Design and BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation)
- SEEN, a sustainable e-commerce platform that sells the work of emerging creatives while exhibiting visual films that explore their practice. (Vasilisa Vetrova and Alina Yakushova, BA (Hons) Media Communications)
- nmnmmnmm, a creative studio that focuses on developing and producing diverse cinematic documentaries. (Roy Jox Fredstie, MA Documentary Film)
- Connection Lab, which focuses on building placemaking grassroots solutions to solve issues of social disconnect in city-based communities. (Natalya Reutova, MA Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures)
- Spectrum Darkroom, which empowers diverse groups to tell their own stories through photographic training and facilities access. (Tolly Robinson, MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography)
- Pejwalk, a revolutionary social network that connects people through the power of voice and location. (Hoorya Sanei, MA Interaction Design)
- Moments skin, a skin care range that promotes inclusive wellbeing and wellness practices. (Victoria Monari, MA Publishing)
- Colouring Spaces, a participatory eco-mural company that empowers community groups to design and paint their own work through custom, life-sized colouring books. (Nicole Blanchard, MA Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures)
- *Stig*ma*ta, an independent, artist-led platform at the intersection of art and radical publishing. (M. Lissoni, BA (Hons) Design for Art Direction)
- zubaan magazine, a platform for South Asian creatives to share lived experiences, initiate discussion and showcase their art. (Nabihah Hashmi, BA (Hons) Photography).
Throughout the programme, participants will be empowered to begin solving real-world problems, defining their own success and developing ideas that make a real impact - emphasising not only the importance of growing as an individual, but also working as a collective to drive tangible, social change.
Are you an LCC graduate? Whether you're currently running your own business, or looking for support to set one up, we want to hear from you.
Contact the LCC Graduate Futures team for further information on how we can help you on your entrepreneurial journey: graduates@lcc.arts.ac.uk
Related links
- Find out more about LCC Accelerate.
- Explore the work of the LCC Graduate Futures team.
- Learn more about careers and employability support at UAL.
