GM Business Growth Hub has announced the 24 businesses joining ASCEND Scale Up Cohort 3 – its most sector-diverse intake yet, spanning industries from medical diagnostics and electrical contracting to AI-powered cybersecurity and Japanese-inspired soft drinks.
GM Business Growth Hub has announced the full cohort of 24 founder-led businesses selected for ASCEND Scale Up Cohort 3, with the programme officially kicking off at a residential retreat at Mottram Hall in Cheshire.
Now in its third year, ASCEND is GM Business Growth Hub's flagship programme for ambitious founders across Greater Manchester, offering expert-led workshops, personalised mentoring, peer learning and access to the region's wider business ecosystem. The programme is delivered in partnership with KPMG and RBC Brewin Dolphin.
This year's cohort is the most diverse in the programme's history. Selected from a competitive application process involving hundreds of businesses from across the city-region, the 24 companies span more than ten industry sectors – from health and life sciences and construction to consumer products, facilities management, education and technology.
Janine Smith, Director of GM Business Growth Hub, said: "The programme will be tailored to the individual needs of everyone participating – whether someone needs help with international expansion, access to finance, or securing the right partnerships for growth. Because of where we sit within the Greater Manchester ecosystem, we can plug in the right support and the right partner at exactly the right moment. That's where we really add value."
The cohort includes businesses at different stages of growth. Among them is Alderley Lighthouse Labs, a UKAS-accredited medical diagnostics laboratory based at Cheadle Royal Business Park that forecasted a 590% increase in turnover and is expanding into the field of pharmacogenomics. Also selected is Strand Intelligence, a Manchester-based AI cybersecurity startup that has already won Security Product of the Year at the Computing Cloud Excellence Awards within its first year of trading.
The cohort brought all 24 founders together at Mottram Hall last week, with sessions focused on peer introductions, leadership and the foundations of the programme ahead. The residential setting was a deliberate choice – designed to give leaders the space and distance to step away from the day-to-day demands of running their business and focus on strategy, while building the relationships and trust that lie at the heart of ASCEND's peer learning model.
Kellie Noon, Network Manager of ASCEND Scale Up Programme, said: "Running a business can be really lonely. Having people going through the same challenges as you is really important. But what makes ASCEND different is that we have a genuine range of businesses. That cross-learning between different sectors, coming back to your challenges with fresh perspectives from people who think completely differently to you, is where the real magic happens."
That sentiment is one that previous cohort members know well. Gabriel Erinle, founder of GAME FM and an alumnus of ASCEND Cohort 2, returned to Mottram Hall as part of the welcome panel for the new cohort. Reflecting on his own experience of the programme, he said:
"You can give ten people the same opportunity and get ten completely different outcomes. I went in thinking I had a fair idea of what I was doing. I came out knowing where I was right, where I was wrong, and who to call when I couldn't tell the difference. The doors that open off the back of this programme don't open for the person who sits at the back."
The fact that Erinle returned to support the incoming cohort is itself telling – ASCEND is designed not just as a programme but as a lasting community, one where the relationships built between founders continue long after the formal support ends.
Over the coming months, the Cohort 3 businesses will access monthly workshops, guest speakers, expert advice and one-to-one mentoring, with sessions covering strategy, governance, people and culture, finance, sales and marketing and longer-term exit planning.
In addition to the expertise from GM Business Growth Hub, KPMG and RBC Brewin Dolphin will each play a significant role in the programme's delivery, providing expert-led sessions, strategic guidance and access to professional networks across finance, investment and business advisory.
ASCEND Scale Up is open to founder-led businesses based in Greater Manchester. Applications for Cohort 4 (2027) are expected to open later this year. Businesses interested in future cohorts can register their interest to join the wait list on our page.
The full cohort of 24 businesses
