Citizen First LCR

Unlocking our hidden entrepreneurs

Citizen First is transforming lives in the Liverpool City Region

From local communities, hidden entrepreneurs are building businesses rooted in their lived experience of health and care challenges.

Recruited through a CV-less process and backed by the Mayor of Liverpool, University of Liverpool, Fusion21 Foundation, and local businesses, each is being paid a year's salary to build a business that solves problems they've navigated themselves.

They receive intensive business training and coaching from Public Life, with the University of Liverpool providing specialist support through its Virtual Engineering Centre and Civic Health Innovation Labs. The Liverpool City Region has rallied around them too — businesses, civic bodies, and local investors have stepped up to provide mentorship, open doors, and back the entrepreneurs.

This is what happens when Liverpool City Region backs its own:

‍20x oversubscribed
90% of applicants had experience of economic disadvantage

‍50+ organizations engaged
in finding, supporting and backing the entrepreneurs

‍33% of entrepreneurs secured funding in first 6 months
through investment or commercial partnership

Sean Bailey

from Runcorn
MySleepHealth

Listen to Sean's BBC Radio Interview

Faye Boswell

from South Liverpool
Sensified Spaces

Listen to Faye's BBC Radio Interview

Katie Bowater

from Prescot
Young Entrepreneurs Club

Listen to Katie's BBC Radio Interview

Ceara Byrne

from Formby
Laurel's Wood

Listen to Ceara's BBC Radio Interview

Frankii Panchoo

from Toxteth
Hair: Anywhere

Lorcan McGuinness

from Childwall
Braywell

Listen to Frankii's BBC Radio Interview

Mat Richards

from Crosby
Inclusivity North West

Leanne Lucas

from Southport
Let's Be Blunt

Abeer Al-aulaqi

from Toxteth
AA Health and Nutrition

Citizen First LCR is part of the Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone Programme, bringing Public Life’s Citizen Incubator model to Liverpool for the first time. The initiative is co-funded by the University of Liverpool’s LCR Innovation Zone-funded project, the Civic Health Tech Innovation Zone (CHI-Zone), and Fusion21 Foundation as well as Liverpool City Region housing associations Torus Foundation, Riverside and Livv Housing Group.