Welcome to
Minority Business Matters

Minority Business Matters powers London’s ethnic minority business success. We support ethnic minority businesses to become suppliers of leading brands and the public sector.

Less than 1% of corporate spend goes to suppliers from minority backgrounds

Who is this for?

Minority Business Matters is for ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) in London. We define EMBs as being at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

We focus our support on start ups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with 250 or fewer employees.

We welcome leaders working in all London-based ethnic minority businesses. We especially encourage anyone who considers they have a disability or who identifies as LGBTQ+ to access this support.

Who are we?

Minority Business Matters is a partnership between Heart of the City, which helps London’s small businesses kickstart their responsible business journeys and MSDUK, the UK’s leading supplier diversity organisation.

Together, we set up Minority Business Matters to overcome the challenges London’s ethnic minority businesses often face when seeking public and private sector business opportunities.

Our offer

Minority Business Matters is a free business support programme for ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) in London.

With one-to-one support, learning programmes, networking and pitching opportunities, this is your chance to take your business to the next level.

Our business advisers will talk to you to understand your needs and help you navigate the support on offer. The programme runs until March 2025 and includes:

one-to-one business support, information and advice from your adviser
matching and connecting with leading brands and the public sector
pitching opportunities
business and networking events
peer-to-peer support
workshops and knowledge sessions
bite-sized learning programmes
sustainability and social value support
inclusion in our creative and cultural industries directory, if applicable.

The programme supports ethnic minority businesses to become supplier ready, embed social value and sustainability into their business and connect with leading brands. We recognise that business leaders are time poor and often lack resources so we’ve developed this flexible programme with that in mind.