Tomas Bamford

Programme Manager @Catalyst

I\'m Programme Manager for Springboard and the Basecamp Boston initiatives supported by the Department for the Economy. The programmes are designed to forge solid connections between Northern Ireland businesses and the people who can help accelerate their growth - https://wearecatalyst.org/programmes/basecamp-boston/ & https://catalystspringboard.co/ Independent research commissioned by Catalyst identified a supportive network of mentors as critical to accelerating NI companies’ path to scale in the US. By supporting scaling companies and connecting them with a range of business experts who can help with their specific needs, Basecamp Boston has the potential to generate real economic impact.I\'ve also worked on the Springboard programme, an early stage start-up initiative designed to provide personalised mentoring for entrepreneurs ready to scale their start-up and raise investment. I helped co-ordinate the Regional Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (REAP) at MIT in May 2023, and we have a few exciting initiatives we\'re currently exploring funding for that I hope to be able to tell you more about soon.