News | Built By Us wins a place on UnLtd’s 2019 Thrive Programme

Built By Us is one of just 18 social ventures to have won a place on the highly prized UnLtd 2019 Thrive programme - a social accelerator which aims to help ambitious social ventures to scale up and deliver greater impact.

The Thrive programme specifically supports entrepreneurs who are working to tackle social challenges in improving access to employment for those distant from the labour market and developing products and services for an ageing society. It offers a unique mix of finance, tailored expert advice and pro-bono support, along with the opportunity to secure investment. This mix of support aims to help ventures to build connections, secure further investment, and really scale their operations.

Built By Us is a not-for-profit consultancy, founded in 2016 by former electrician, architect and vocation education specialist Danna Walker; it is based in Brixton, London. Built By Us specialises in the construction sector and has a vision that by 2030 it will have played an active role in the creation of a diverse UK construction sector, which both reflects the society it serves and draws on the talents of a diverse workforce. 

Speaking after the announcement Danna Walker said “BBU’s mission to connect diverse talent to construction businesses, to support companies on their journey to becoming more inclusive workplaces and to nurture diverse talent through mentoring, was borne out of my own experiences over 25 years in the industry. So many organisations want to do the right thing but have no idea where to start, so BBU works to support companies who want to drive change. It has been wonderful to discover the number of people inside and outside the industry who are keen to see change and engage in the debate on what this means and why it’s needed.” She went on to add “I am delighted to have the support of the Thrive programme and thrilled to have been selected.”