Applications are open for the ’23 Pi Labs Growth Programme

Starting today, we are open for applications to the eleventh edition of our growth programme, running from February to May 2023. Application deadline is October 28th. See more details and how to apply here.

Last year was our most successful programme to date! We almost doubled the size of the cohort itself, moving from our usual group of 5 participating companies to 9. It was one of our most international cohorts to date, with teams spanning across Israel, Norway, Germany, Austria, Ireland and the UK, and as for investment, numbers definitely speak louder than words, and our 9 participating teams secured a collective £15m off the back of the programme.

If you haven’t had the chance, you can watch the teams pitch at our Demo Day just a few months ago here:

So what’s next?

Usually the summer is a bit of a quiet period for the programme, but this year has definitely been an exception. On the back of the success of Cohort 10, we couldn’t wait to get back to the drawing board and see how we can make the programme even better.

Now, after a couple of months of refinement, we’re ready to do it again!

I’m very pleased to announce that we’ve now opened applications for our next Pi Labs Growth Programme, commencing on February 13th 2023, and we’ve already started to actively scout and speak with our next founders!

Although a good few months away from the start of the programme, the point at which we decide to invest in the companies will happen before that — between October and December.

So what are we looking for?

At it’s core, Pi Labs exists to back the founders who are transforming our relationship with the built world and its impact on communities, business, and the environment. We’re looking for companies innovating how we live, own, work, build and experience. This is quite an encompassing definition — but it’s meant to be. We pride ourselves on looking at our sector with a broad lens, while still maintaining our vertical expertise. So we’d encourage you to apply even if you don’t think you fit into the traditional ‘proptech’ definition.

Our portfolio is definitely diverse and we are no strangers to backing companies typically considered to be ‘out of our remit’. A good example of this is a company that joined our growth programme last year — Moonhub. Operating within the metaverse, Moonhub is a next generation VR-training platform. Although the link to the built environment might not be immediately obvious, Moonhub are working to supercharge workplace training as we know it and our view is that this solution could be instrumental in addressing the significantly low retention rates in our future workplaces.

We are laser focused on anything that touches our relationship with the built world, and part of that means tackling some of the most crucial social issues of our time. With that in mind, we’re looking to partner with companies who will play a part in resolving the climate crisis, the affordability and accessibility of our housing, the resilience of our businesses and economies, the longevity of our cities, as well as the health & wellbeing of our communities. We believe that the built environment has a huge part to play in improving our impact in all of the areas. Change is hard, but it is vital, urgent and possible. We are looking for the innovators making things better.

Apart from backing a wide range of solutions, we are also continuously striving for a fairer, more equitable and inclusive industry. We’re actively looking to support underrepresented founders from all backgrounds as we search for the next leaders and entrepreneurs in our sector. If you identify as an underrepresented founder and you’re working on a solution that affects our relationship with built world, we would encourage you to apply. We can offer, funding, expertise, access to our network or even just a chat, we’d love to hear from you!

What can I expect?

The programme will officially begin on 13th February 2023 and will run until the 25th May 2023, which is marked with our annual Demo Day. As last year, this will be a hybrid setup — with teams joining us for the first and final week of the programme. We’ve found this approach to be very effective, as we’re both time efficient, but can make important face-to-face introductions at key parts of the programme, both to the wider cohort but also to our whole ecosystem.

Although mentioned a few times, I feel it’s important the stress the benefits of the programme and who it is best suited for. There are 3 key pillars:

• Strategic Support. This is an overarching goal of the programme. We start the strategic support by hand-picking the most relevant mentors for each of our teams, based on their industry, stage and needs. The idea is that you are match with 3–4 very relevant mentors that can support you throughout the programme, but also once it’s finished. Furthermore, we have weekly workshops that are tailored to the needs of the cohort and made as relevant as possible. Most of these workshops have dedicated 1:1 sessions, so the topics can be further refined to match your needs.
• Access to Customers. This takes place half-way through the programme and is one of the most crucial aspects of the programme. Based on an initial target list from each company, we look within our own ecosystems and those of our partners, and start individually introducing each team to relevant customers.
• Access to Investors. Similar to the customer exercise, this is a completely individual engagement, where we match the best investors. Even if you wouldn’t be looking to fundraise on the back of the programme, we would still look to introduce you to relevant investors that can come in your next round.

The growth programme is only the start of teams’ engagement with Pi Labs. Upon successful graduation of the programme, teams officially become part of our alumni network and can benefit from on-going support from Pi Labs and our wider community, which evolves alongside them. We now have 72 alumni companies in our network. You can hear more about their experience here:

How do I apply?

If you want to apply, please submit your application online by 18:00 BST on 28th October 2022.

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and invite teams for 30-minute introductory calls, latest by 15th November 2022.

Interviews have already begun and they will continue through late November. The final investment decisions will be made by mid-December.

Apply here. Good luck! You have until Friday 28th of October.