Business and IP Centre (BIPC) Local

Welcome to London's first Business and Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) Local, launched in partnership with the British Library. Located on the ground floor of Leytonstone Library just steps away from the Leytonstone Central line station, the BIPC Local has business development resources, community workspace, and expert advice available from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm (excluding public holidays).

All support is free for everyone at any stage of their business journey:

• Drop in to discuss your ideas for a new start-up or thriving scale-up.
• Make a one-to-one appointment with one of our advisors to receive focused help.
• Bring your laptop and latte and enjoy our bright, welcoming workspace with free wi-fi in the heart of Leytonstone.

For free webinar and events:

Take the first step to building your business by signing up to our Eventbrite page so you’ll never miss any of our great events, workshops and networking opportunities.

For inspiration:

Our Instagram feed is full of inspiration, advice, links to events, and fun engagement posts. Follow us to never miss a post; don’t forget to like and comment!

Sign up for a one-to-one session with one of our business advisors:

Help to develop our local offer to benefit businesses:

Are you an expert in a certain trade? Let us know because we are always looking to procure local, micro-SMEs that can help to provide expert support to our businesses. Please contact us to propose a workshop topic that would benefit the local business community.

BIPC Local one-to-one advice and support

Get free tailored advice from our in-house experts in the comfort of our business centre in Leytonstone or online.

How to access: Speak to Information Specialist, Amy Miller or SME Champion, Jacqueline Brown

BIPC Local workshops

Get free tailored advice from our in-house experts in the comfort of our business centre in Leytonstone or online.

How to access: Visit our Eventbrite page; create an account and follow us to receive updates when we add new events and workshops.

LBWF business newsletter

Our free monthly newsletter provides information about grants, networking opportunities, local business events and more to help you stay connected.

How to access: Use our subscription portal to sign up for the business newsletter (and more!)

BIPC local databases

Access world-renowned information for free through COBRA with your library log in. Additional IBISWorld, Fame, and Beauhurst resources available.

How to access: If you need access to additional database resources, book an appointment with Information Specialist, Amy Miller or contact us.

LBWF adult learning service

Access to courses in accounting, finance, marketing, start-ups, hiring apprentices, HR and much more.

How to access: Please check the ALS business course list for specific requirements and costs.

Elevate with CRATE and Newable

From January to April 2022, Elevate will support over 200 Waltham Forest businesses to navigate the challenges and opportunities of these uncertain times.

How to access: Start-ups and scale-ups can expect a series of interactive webinars, one-to-one action-planning sessions, and the opportunity to apply for seed funding. Visit the Elevate webpage for information.

Innovating for growth at the British Library

Scale-up mentoring, specialist support, and expert advice around strategy, planning and much more.

How to access: This programme is available for businesses with turnover from £100,000 to £30 million. You must apply to be considered but the programme is free. 

NatWest courses, accelerator, and workshops in collaboration with us

Access to an Entrepreneur Accelerator for growing businesses – an online Business Builder course, Women in Business network, free planning and growth guidance, and mentoring with local enterprise managers and via the MentorDigital platform.

Our BIPC Local will run free workshops in collaboration with NatWest. Visit the NatWest website for access to their specialised programmes and mentoring. Events will be held through our Eventbrite page

BIPC Local email-out

A monthly email providing curated content of interest to business owners in Waltham Forest.

How to access: Send an email to startups@walthamforest.gov.uk indicating you wish to receive these emails.

A small group of talented local founders have been appointed to act as BIPC Local Ambassadors to keep the Council informed of challenges facing the local business community. Their success, enthusiasm and energy are vital components of the BIPC Local and the community. Click their business links for inspiration:

Business support can feel random or overwhelming at times because there is so much out there to learn. To help make your journey as a business owner a bit clearer, we are introducing an exciting framework called F.O.R.E.S.T. Pathways to enable you to track your progress.

We are seeking to create a F.O.R.E.S.T. Pathways Working Group with 10 local businesses to help you use the framework to your utmost advantage, and to test it. Please contact us if you’re interested in joining this group and include "Forest Pathway" in the subject line.

Waltham Forest Connected Business Directory to gain better visibility. You can also search for other businesses in the area by industry as well as further business support programmes and resources.

Further business networks on our Council webpage.

Our Council website is the portal to all the information you need to plan or grow your local business in Waltham Forest. There is helpful guidance around licensing (pavement, alcohol, food, etc.), planning permissions, commercial property and co-working spaces for lease, and much more.

If you need assistance or for all other enquiries:

Pre-trading and start-up guidance - startups@walthamforest.gov.uk

Business growth and recovery guidance - business.growth@walthamforest.gov.uk