KIGO Limited
How an Essex-based startup used mentoring to sharpen its story, unlock opportunities, and accelerate early growth.
Innovation Grant Mentoring
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"Building KIGO means working across transport, education and local government, three sectors that rarely speak the same language. The Innovation Grant Mentoring Programme gave us mentors who genuinely understood that complexity. They sharpened our positioning, strengthened our commercial narrative and challenged the things that needed challenging. The impact has reached far beyond any single grant application, it has changed how we tell KIGO’s story to investors, councils and partners, and it has directly contributed to the commercial momentum we are now building."
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The Challenge
Clarifying a Complex Value Proposition
KIGO Limited, founded by Moria Bennett, is tackling one of the UK’s most overlooked transport challenges: the school run. Operating at the intersection of transport, education and local government, the business has developed an AI-powered platform to help families, schools and councils coordinate journeys more efficiently and sustainably.
As an early-stage startup preparing for grant funding and investment, KIGO faced a common but critical challenge — how to clearly communicate its value across multiple sectors with different priorities, language and expectations. The business needed to refine its positioning, strengthen its evidence base, and build a more compelling narrative for both public and private audiences.
Expert Support to Strengthen Strategy
Through the Innovation Grant Mentoring Programme, KIGO accessed experienced mentors who understood both the funding landscape and the realities of building an innovative, cross-sector business.
This tailored support helped the team take a step back and focus on what mattered most — clarity, evidence and impact. With practical guidance and constructive challenge, KIGO refined how it articulated its offer, strengthened its supporting data using robust UK insights, and developed a more confident and cohesive commercial story.
From Early-Stage Idea to Investment-Ready Proposition
The results have been transformational, giving KIGO the clarity and confidence to move forward at pace:
- Stronger Positioning: A clearer, sharper narrative that resonates across investors, councils and partners.
- Improved Investment Readiness: A more robust evidence base and commercial story, strengthening applications and conversations.
- Accelerated Opportunities: Increased engagement with local authorities and progress towards early-stage pilot opportunities.
- Time Saved, Risks Reduced: Early identification of challenges and gaps, enabling smarter decisions and faster progress.
By cutting through complexity and building a stronger foundation, KIGO is now better positioned to grow its impact — helping more communities rethink how the school run works.
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“The Innovation Grant Mentoring Programme didn’t just help us write a stronger grant application, it changed how we tell KIGO’s story. That is the kind of support every early-stage founder needs and almost none can find.”
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