Frequently Asked Questions

We know what five days means when you are running a company. That is precisely why we have designed them carefully. The first cohort rated the programme 9.3/10 and their feedback repeatedly highlighted the quality of speakers, peer discussion and the chance to reflect. If the programme is right for you, we think the five days will earn their place in your diary.

No. Smart Scale is not an accelerator, and it is not an investment-readiness programme. It is a structured space for people already running growing businesses to think clearly about what comes next — with experienced peers, specialists and practitioners in the room.

Founders, co-founders, CEOs and managing directors of creative technology businesses with tangible traction — customers, users, contracts, pilots or something comparable. There are no arbitrary thresholds for turnover, headcount or funding raised.

This is deliberately broad. Games, XR, immersive technology, digital media, creative AI, virtual production, music technology, audio technology, creator tools, cultural technology and adjacent areas. If you consider yourself part of the creative technology world and the growth questions on this page sound familiar, we would like to hear from you.

Not specifically. You already know your sector. Smart Scale focuses on the questions that appear across all growing businesses: people, leadership, sales, structure, IP, finance, communication, governance and direction. The creative technology cohort shapes the context. The content goes deeper than sector.

Not necessarily. What matters is that you are the person strategically running the business and able to make decisions about where it goes next. That could be a founder, co-founder, CEO or managing director.

Possibly. If you have two co-founders who would both benefit from attending all five days, tell us in your application. We are very happy to discuss it. What we ask is that the same people attend all five days — not a rotation from your team.

No. We have trialled this in the past, but it was not successful. The cohort is part of the programme. and the value builds because the same group gets to know each other, understand each other's businesses and carry conversations forward from one week to the next. We ask one person — or at most two co-founders, by arrangement — to commit to all five days.

We would ask you to consider whether the timing is right. The programme is designed around consistent attendance. If something unexpected arises, talk to us — we understand that life can be unpredictable. We would not encourage applying if you already know you will miss a day.

All five days are in person at the University of Bath Innovation Centre. There is no online or hybrid option.

There is no formal geographical boundary, but you need to be able to get to Bath for all five Tuesdays. That is a practical consideration worth thinking through before applying.

Smart Scale is fully funded by SETsquared Bath. There is no cost to participants.

Yes. Lunch is included on all five days. So is coffee.

We expect around 10-15 participants in total. We have an upper limit of 16 participants.

If your expression of interest looks like a strong fit, we will invite you to a 45-minute diagnostic conversation with the programme team. That gives us both a chance to assess whether Smart Scale is the right programme for you right now.

It should not feel like one. It is a conversation about your business, where you are and what you are trying to work out. We want to understand whether Smart Scale is genuinely useful for you at this stage. That serves both of us.

Unfortunately not. Places are limited and selected on fit, not on the order applications arrive. If we think Smart Scale is not the right programme for you right now, we will say so. We will suggest alternatives where we can.

Friday 30 October 2026.

Speaker announcements will be added as the programme is curated. Every day will include at least two external voices — specialists, experienced founders and practitioners with relevant, direct experience. We are interested in people who can talk about what actually happened.

The five-day structure and themes are fixed. The emphasis within each day is shaped once we know who is in the room — which is why the diagnostic conversation matters.

Funding and investment may be covered where relevant to the cohort. But Smart Scale is not an investment-readiness programme and is not designed primarily to help you raise money.

Intellectual property is part of the Growth day and comes up in conversations about structure and commercial strategy more broadly. It is a regular theme in discussions with growing creative technology businesses.

Where it is relevant to the businesses in the room, yes. AI as a business tool (e.g., for productivity, process and capability) may come up in several sessions.

There may be light preparation or reflection between sessions. Nothing that requires significant time. We are aware you are running a company.

No. Not for the application and not for the programme.

No. Smart Scale is not an investment-readiness programme and does not require participants to be raising funding.

Participants remain connected to SETsquared Bath and to the cohort. The relationships formed during the programme tend to continue beyond it. We stay in touch.