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Attention all early-stage B2B ventures! The doors are now open for recruitment into Cohort 4 of the MSDUK Accelerator, and we’re thrilled to extend an invitation to you. Join our thriving community of over 120 dedicated individuals, which includes seasoned experts, mentors, and facilitators. At MSDUK, we take immense pride in our robust support network, united by a shared mission of catalyzing positive change.

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By submitting your application, you’ll seamlessly integrate into this dynamic ecosystem, committed to empowering ethnic minority founders on their journey to becoming influential and diverse trailblazers of tomorrow. Seize this chance to shape the trajectory of your business – submit your application now and let’s collaboratively foster transformation!

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Apply for the MSDUK Accelerator Programme (Cohort 4) today!

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About Ankita Dwivedi 

Ankita Dwivedi is the founder of Firstplanit and is the digital platform that is looking to rapidly accelerate the adoption of sustainability in the building sector.  

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When I was introduced to MSDUK through the Accelerator programme, I had no idea what to expect. But looking back, it was an excellent decision. 

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I came into entrepreneurship following my career working as an architect and researcher. Initially, I set up a consultancy but quickly realised that for my vision, I needed something that could scale quickly. As many founders have experienced, starting a scalable business comes with its unique challenges, but I decided to give it a go because I truly believed in my vision. 

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MSDUK Experience  

I was introduced to MSDUK through a colleague and that is how I found out about the MSDUK Accelerator programme. I knew I wanted to be around people who looked like me, who were in similar stage with their start-ups, and who understood  the biases that ethnic minority founders face. After I was accepted onto Cohort 1 and we had a first meeting in Birmingham, I looked around the room and I thought, I’m not alone. This was my first experience with MSDUK. 

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Open Mindset 

When the programme started, I was keen to start practical application as I had done a lot of research  before the MSDUK sessions. However, from the first session, I was not expecting the level of value I received. I truly enjoyed the live interactivity of all sessions. One can study a problem theoretically and try to find solutions online but being able to learn from and talk to founders that came across similar problems brought deeper insight to the forefront. I was exposed to new solutions that I may have not thought about. Even after two years of completing the programme, I continue to revisit the recorded masterclasses. I see myself going back to the recordings to reiterate the learnings and revisit some topics. 

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If I could go back and do the programme again, I would love to do the module tasks again as I felt they were an amazing way of implementing and reiterating the learnings. Being a founder and owning a business is not a linear process so I find myself having to go back sometimes to go forward. In a world where the need for speed is so high, we can forget that faster is not always better.   

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