Pizza Hut Delivery and Hatch Enterprise, in collaboration with Groundwork, awarded a £1,000 “New Founder” grant to UK entrepreneur Olga Valadon, founder and director of Change Aligned. The grant supports emerging entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds to start or build new ventures with strong potential to have a sustained, positive impact on communities.

“I founded Change Aligned to help organisations and leaders adapt and thrive in today’s demanding, change-driven environment,” said Mrs. Valadon. “As a company, we believe that emotional intelligence and empathy are underutilised business resources that drive metrics and success in the short and long-term.”

“With 80 years of combined experience working with teams worldwide, our female-only team is unique due to its diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. This allows us to support individuals and groups across contexts, from nonprofits to senior corporate leadership.”

Mrs. Valadon is especially interested in teaching leaders to use creativity and gamification to enhance employee engagement and business outcomes. She also donates her expertise to charities that may not have the funding for her professional services.

“It’s an incredible honour to receive the support of the New Founder Programme. I am so pleased that the grant review team saw the same potential in Change Aligned as I did and have chosen to support us with this grant. I plan to use my award to hire a social media strategist and develop a social media presence. I want to spark growth and awareness of our services and ultimately empower and support more people.” Mrs. Valadon said.

This grant scheme is part of the New Founder Programme, a three stage-initiative designed to help UK entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds by offering the tools and skills they need to start their businesses.

Groundwork, a federation of UK charities focused on poverty and the environment, administered the grant programme alongside Hatch, a charity focused on underrepresented founders. The Pizza Hut Foundation funded the award.

In this first round of funding, the New Founder Programme awarded 14 new entrepreneurs over £38,000.

Joanna Hamer, Head of Cohort Programmes at Hatch Enterprise, said, “At Hatch, it’s our mission to build a better world through entrepreneurship by removing the barriers typically faced by underrepresented founders in the UK. We’re constantly impressed by the innovation and passion of the founders who come onto the New Founder Programme, and look forward to seeing all that the grant recipients achieve as a result of this extra support.”