Applications now open for our new 2022 programme - Secret Sauce.
Sign up by 28th Feb. Starting mid March 2022.

What People Say About Un-Age

I've been running an Employability Club for 10 years and the Un-Age program has shown my community how to create their own business in partnership with young people - which is novel and fantastic.

Rick Crust - Organiser Employability Club South Hackney

Bringing together young and older people and giving them skills and agency to start new businesses is very empowering and something that is much needed in Hackney

Matt Clack - Hackney Council - Public Health Manager

Through Un-Age I have met my business partner Evelyn who is 57 and a great cook. With the help of the Un-Age team I've found my dream business partner and we have started our own business

Jason Nicolini - 19 years old catering student

Secret Sauce

Secret Sauce is our new business support programme entirely focussed on promising food businesses within London's Olympic boroughs. The programme, supported by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), is composed by a series of FREE masterclasses and networking sessions - exclusively tailored for local food, drink and hospitality businesses like yours. We're particularly keen to hear from food entrepreneurs who are over 30 (especially over 50s) though applications are open to every early-stage food start ups based in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest.

Our methodology is tailored alongside participants to enable more relevant and legitimate capacity building programmes that promote meaningful social impact on business, people and communities. Alongside the programme's co-design process with participants, Secret Sauce also applies integrate action learning with peer mentoring to encourage people's autonomy, self reflection and the ability to work and learn collaboratively.

• Have a great idea for a food business that you want to test out?

• Want to professionalise your food skills and turn them into a revenue stream?

• Have an early-stage food business and want to grow it?

Un-Age is giving 16 early-stage East London food businesses a boost! Access a range of masterclasses tailored to your needs and grow your business network with our special Secret Sauce.

Applications are now open, until 31st Jan for our new 12-week accelerator programme kicking off in February 2022.

The programme

This 12-week programme is designed for early-stage food entrepreneurs or businesses heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic looking to take the next step in their business journey.

The programme includes:

• 12 weekly masterclasses on core business topics such as digital presence, finance, marketing, storytelling and more

• A peer group of other food entrepreneurs to share skills with and learn from

• Opportunities to test and promote your business, and grow your customer base

• Access to food businesses networks and opportunities to access 1:1 support and expertise

We are open to any kind of food business – products, catering, takeaway, dining experiences, street food or restaurants.

You don’t need to be fully up and running yet, but you do need to show that your idea has potential and you’ve got the drive to make it a success!

Team and Mentors

Fabricio Mendes

(Director & Mentor)

is a lawyer and social business consultant with many years of experience in supporting artists, creative organisations, charities and social enterprises with business strategy, legal and fundraising skills. He has done a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths College and is currently pursuing a PhD in Design at Loughborough University London.
Before joining Un-Age, Fabricio has coordinated the CriaAtivo Film School, a British Council funded capacity building project promoting access to audio visual techniques to young boys and girls from favelas in Rio de Janeiro .

Jacob Wright

(Co-Founder & Mentor)

is a marketing expert with extensive start up experience. Having worked at multi award winning creative agencies like Mother and Droga5 he knows how to differentiate young businesses. He is also a behavioural psychologist and enthusiastic gardener. As a co-founder of Un-Age he is mentoring our entrepreneurs in effective marketing and branding.

Christian Ahlert

(Co-Founder & Mentor)

is a serial entrepreneur who has has been part of many start ups (some of which have failed and some have grown up, others are still growing). Through his innovation agency MiniBarLabs he has run start up accelerator and education programs which have helped many start up founders. He is a co-founder of Un-Age using his start up knowledge for young and old. He also thinks that we need to find new ways of doing business that support a wide variety of people in terms of background and age.

Un-Age - Our Mission

Traditional businesses do not provide lifelong employment anymore, or the chance to grow your own life as you want it. Un-Age is a social enterprise bringing younger and older people together to create new businesses which support them.

We think everybody, no matter how old, or young should be enabled to run their own business. Teaching people entrepreneurship and business skills and helping them to launch new businesses is what we do.

Here a few numbers that show why this is important:

More than 50% of 16 to 25 year olds want to set up their own businesses (UnLTD)

By 2040 nearly 40% of the UK population will be at retirement age but already less than a third of employees are over 50 (FT)

57% of 50-59 year olds are being forced out of their jobs

Without diving more into statistics it is clear that we are living in an ageing society where younger people don’t often meet or work with older people, or set up a businesses together. And while the number of older people is growing rapidly employment opportunities fall drastically for the over 55 year olds. At the same time many more young people want to start their own business and this is why we created Un-Age.