There is a particular kind of energy that appears when entrepreneurs stop asking whether they are ready and start acting as if growth is already in motion.
That energy was present at UP this week as we launched Engine Room, a new pilot programme designed to help entrepreneurs turn clarity into action, confidence into visibility and ambition into measurable progress.
Engine Room is more than access to desks. It is a focused growth environment created to help entrepreneurs keep moving with professional workspace, one-to-one mentoring, peer connection and the wider UP ecosystem around them.
This first pilot brings together a selected group of entrepreneurs who previously took part in the Orbit Incubator, delivered as part of the Croydon Business Support Programme by UP and funded by Croydon Council, with specialist training support provided by Orbit.
At the launch, alumni including Andrew Prophet, Genevieve Joseph, Jo de Serrano, Kat Olearczyk, Sasha Abrahams, Simon Turay and Zoe Parker came together to share what had changed since completing the incubator and to step into the next phase of their business journey.
That matters, because Engine Room is not simply about who was in the room on launch day. It is about what the room represents: entrepreneurs moving into their next chapter with focus, courage and momentum.
From insight to action
The launch began with conversation.
Not presentations. Not formal updates. Conversation.
We invited participants to reflect on what had changed since the incubator ended in March 2026. What followed was a powerful reminder that meaningful business support does not only change a business plan. It can change the way a founder sees themselves, their work and their future.
One theme came through again and again: clarity.
For some participants, clarity meant recognising that the path they were on was no longer the right one. That kind of realisation can be uncomfortable, but it is also one of the most valuable moments in an entrepreneur’s journey. When a founder has the confidence to stop, reassess and change direction, they are not stepping backwards. They are choosing alignment.
That is growth.
For others, the transformation showed up in confidence. They spoke about becoming more willing to share their work, speak about their value and show people what they do without being held back by fear of judgement or rejection.
That confidence is already creating results. Some participants are seeing more clients. Some are generating more revenue. Some are having stronger conversations, building better opportunities and presenting their work with a level of belief that was not there before.
This is the kind of progress that numbers alone cannot fully capture. It is visible in the way a founder speaks. In the decisions they now feel able to make. In the ambition they no longer apologise for having.
The incubator helped unlock that shift.
Engine Room has been created to build on it.
Why Engine Room exists
Entrepreneurship is often described as a journey, but journeys need more than encouragement. They need structure. They need direction. They need the right environment at the right time.
Many founders leave a programme with new insight, new confidence and a clearer sense of what they want to build. The challenge is what happens next.
How do they maintain momentum?
How do they turn learning into consistent action?
How do they keep growing when they are no longer in the weekly rhythm of a programme?
Engine Room responds to that gap.
It gives entrepreneurs a practical base at UP where they can work, connect, receive mentoring and continue developing their businesses alongside others who understand the reality of building something from the ground up.
During the launch, we introduced how the pilot will work. Participants will have access to the Engine Room workspace at UP, including six bookable hot desks, as well as one-to-one mentoring during the programme. The pilot is designed to support focus, productivity, accountability, connection and growth.
But the real value goes deeper than the facilities.
A desk can become a place where a founder finally protects time for their business. A conversation can lead to a collaboration. A mentoring session can sharpen a decision that has been delayed for months. A shared workspace can remind an entrepreneur that they are not building alone.
That is the purpose of Engine Room: to create the conditions where progress becomes easier to sustain.
A space for founders who are ready to move
When participants saw the Engine Room space, the programme became tangible.
It was no longer only an idea, a schedule or a pilot on paper. It became a real place where work will happen.
This is where founders will plan their next move, refine their offers, make calls, write proposals, build systems, test ideas, develop partnerships, meet potential collaborators and take the practical steps that turn intention into results.
The space is designed for entrepreneurs who are ready to use it.
That distinction is important.
Engine Room is not about passive support. It is about active growth. It is for founders who are ready to apply what they have learned with greater consistency, confidence and ambition.
During the launch, participants spoke about how valuable it will be to have a professional place to work. They highlighted the importance of productivity, new connections and the opportunity to support one another’s progress.
That peer energy is one of the most powerful parts of the pilot.
When entrepreneurs work near each other, they do more than share a room. They exchange ideas. They notice opportunities. They challenge assumptions. They celebrate progress. They make each other braver.
Engine Room is designed to make that kind of momentum visible, practical and repeatable.
A pilot with wider potential
Engine Room is launching as a pilot, but its ambition is bigger than the word pilot might suggest.
For UP, this is an important step in exploring how workspace, mentoring and community can come together to create a stronger pathway for entrepreneurs. This first cohort builds on the progress made through the Orbit Incubator, but the learning from the pilot will help shape what Engine Room could become in the future.
That distinction matters.
Engine Room is not being developed as a closed extension of one programme. It is being tested as a model with wider potential: a practical, focused environment where entrepreneurs can access the right support at the right moment and keep progressing beyond the limits of a single course, cohort or intervention.
Too often, business support is delivered in isolated moments. A founder joins a programme, learns, grows, gains confidence and then has to work out the next stage alone. Engine Room challenges that model by creating a bridge between learning and sustained growth.
It recognises that entrepreneurs need different kinds of support at different stages.
At one stage, they may need clarity. At another, confidence. At another, workspace, mentoring, accountability and access to a stronger network.
Engine Room brings those ingredients together in one focused environment.
For partners, funders and future sponsors, this is where the opportunity becomes especially clear. Supporting Engine Room means investing in entrepreneurs who are already taking action. It means backing people who are building, adapting, learning and growing.
It also means supporting a model that connects individual business growth with wider local economic impact. When entrepreneurs become more confident, more visible and more sustainable, the benefits reach beyond one business. They create jobs, services, collaborations, community value and new possibilities for Croydon’s business ecosystem.
Engine Room is a pilot, but it points towards something much larger: a future where talented local entrepreneurs can access the right environment, the right support and the right community to keep moving forward.
The UP journey continues
The launch of Engine Room showed what is possible when entrepreneurs are supported beyond the first stage of their development.
The stories shared in the room were not stories of people standing still. They were stories of founders making brave decisions, stepping into visibility, increasing confidence, attracting clients, changing direction when needed and choosing to keep going with greater purpose.
That is the kind of entrepreneurship UP exists to support.
Not just ideas, but action.
Not just ambition, but structure.
Not just encouragement, but an ecosystem that helps people move.
Engine Room is the next expression of that commitment.
It gives entrepreneurs a place to continue the work they have already started, surrounded by people who understand the journey and supported by a team invested in their progress.
As the pilot officially begins, we are proud to welcome this first Engine Room cohort into the next stage of their growth at UP.
Engine Room is where clarity becomes action.
Where confidence becomes visibility.
Where founders build with focus, community and purpose.
And where entrepreneurial momentum begins to turn into something even bigger.
Organisations, partners and sponsors interested in supporting the future of Engine Room and helping more entrepreneurs access this kind of opportunity can express their interest by contacting UP at [email protected]
Help us create more opportunities for entrepreneurs
The Engine Room has been designed to give entrepreneurs the space, support and connections they need to grow. With your support, we can help even more founders take their next step.
If you would like to get involved, you can volunteer as a mentor or support the programme through a CSR donation.
To discuss how you or your organisation can contribute, please email [email protected].
Interested in mentoring? Find out more here: Volunteer to mentor.