Twinkl Hive: Nurturing the next generation of business leaders

Founded in 2010 by teacher Susie Seaton and her husband Jonathan, Twinkl was born from the need for high-quality teaching resources. With no credible materials available at the time, teachers like Susie were using their precious time creating their own. The Seatons wanted to change this by offering a wealth of resources, so that teachers could focus on teaching.

Over 10 years on, the digital education publisher has grown into a haven for teachers in all corners of the world, with over four million educators accessing more than 525,000 digital resources. The team even received the prestigious Queen’s Award for International Trade. 

Not just set on their own success, the team at Twinkl are a prime example of a local business succeeding and then giving back, which they do through TwinklHive.

An accelerator programme, TwinklHive opened its doors in 2019 and provides space, investment, and support to accelerate the growth of innovative like-minded start-ups that are looking to solve a real problem for their customer.

Alongside the Hive, the team also launched the much sought-after TwinklHive Scholarship, which offers grants of up to £40,000 to successful applicants aged 18 to 24, as well as six months’ support and guidance to bring their business idea to life. 

While TwinklHive is international, there’s a real focus on Sheffield and the entrepreneur community within the region. The team offer a Business Programme for young people based in South Yorkshire, which teaches them how to transform an idea into a feasible business concept. TwinklHive was also a founding member of the Sheffield Incubator and Accelerator Network (SIAN), which connects all start-up support providers in the region, so entrepreneurs can access the best available support for their business.

The Seatons experienced first-hand the difficulties young entrepreneurs face when starting out, and their desire to help the next generation of business leaders demonstrates the supportive start-up community that’s thriving in Sheffield.