About this programme
Go Succeed is Northern Ireland's business support service, led by NI's 11 local councils and funded through UK Government money (the site's own pages reference both the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the UK Government's Local Growth Fund). It launched in November 2023 to give entrepreneurs and business owners across Northern Ireland one route into mentoring, workshops and (when open) grant funding, delivered through the councils rather than a single central agency.
The service is built around three stages of business life, each with its own track: Start (for people with an idea, a side hustle, or early-stage plans to trade), Grow (for established businesses looking to expand or adopt new technology and processes), and Scale (for businesses with the ambition and capacity to reach roughly £1 million in revenue within three years, including international growth). Applicants are placed on whichever track fits, not asked to pick a grant scheme upfront.
Support is one-to-one and sector-matched: a mentor is assigned based on the business's needs, sector and location rather than chosen by the applicant. Alongside mentoring, Go Succeed runs masterclasses, webinars and networking events, and gives registered users access to a members' area of short tutorials and guides on planning, registration, tax, insurance and finance.
The core service — registration, mentoring hours, workshops, events and the members' area — is free to businesses legally registered in Northern Ireland (including online businesses that sell internationally). A capital grant has existed under the Go Succeed banner, but the official site currently states the grant is closed across all three tracks; the mentoring and events service continues to run regardless of grant status.
How it works
Start track: up to 13 hours of one-to-one mentoring for people considering starting a business, running a side venture, or working toward self-employment. The business does not need to be trading yet.
Grow track: up to 15 hours of one-to-one mentoring for established businesses seeking to expand, innovate, or adopt new technology and processes.
Scale track: up to 30 hours of one-to-one mentoring for established businesses with the ambition to reach roughly £1 million in revenue within three years, including support for international expansion and referrals to specialist organisations.
Grant funding (when open) sits alongside the mentoring service on all three tracks and requires the applicant to provide a 30% match fund; the official site states the Go Succeed Grant is currently closed on Start, Grow and Scale.
Who can apply
The business (or the individual's planned business) must be legally registered in Northern Ireland. Online businesses that are NI-registered but sell to customers outside NI, including internationally, are eligible.
Start track: open to people who have not yet started trading — including side-hustle owners and those exploring self-employment — as well as very early-stage businesses.
Grow track: for businesses that are already established and looking to expand or innovate.
Scale track: for established businesses judged capable of reaching roughly £1 million in revenue within three years, including those targeting international markets.
Applicants must be at least 16 years old (the sign-up form enforces this).
The FAQ page lists categories of activity Go Succeed will not support: gambling, money lending, adult entertainment, tobacco products, vaping products, cannabis products not authorised as medicines, debt factoring, hire purchase financing, and pyramid schemes.
How to apply
- Register online at go-succeed.com/sign-up, or call the Go Succeed team on 0800 027 0639 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm, per the FAQ page).
- Complete the sign-up form: personal details (name, age, gender, email, phone), business details (location/district, postcode and address, business name, sector, trading start date, turnover range, legal status, social enterprise status), and how you can be helped — the form adapts its questions to your answers.
- Confirm how you heard about Go Succeed and give privacy consent (mandatory) to submit; a marketing opt-in is optional.
- Wait to be contacted by the team — both the sign-up form and the individual Start/Grow/Scale programme pages state within three working days; if you haven't heard back, the FAQ invites you to check junk mail or call 0800 027 0639.
- Once matched, you're assigned a mentor who builds a bespoke plan for your business and points you to relevant masterclasses, webinars and events.
Documents you’ll typically need
- No document checklist is published on the official pages beyond the information collected in the sign-up form itself (business registration details, sector, turnover range, legal structure).
- For grant funding specifically (currently closed), the site states a 30% match fund is required from the applicant, but does not publish a supporting-document list while the grant is closed.
Frequently asked
Is Go Succeed a grant, or something else?
Primarily a mentoring and business-support service, not a grant. Go Succeed gives eligible NI businesses free one-to-one mentoring (13, 15 or 30 hours depending on Start/Grow/Scale), workshops and events. A capital grant has run under the same brand in the past, but the official site currently states the Go Succeed Grant is closed on all three tracks.
Do I need to already have a registered business to apply?
No, not for the Start track. Go Succeed's Start service is open to people still developing an idea, running a side hustle, or considering self-employment. Grow and Scale, however, are for businesses that are already established and legally registered in Northern Ireland.
Can I pick my own mentor?
No. Go Succeed matches you with a mentor based on your business's sector, location and stated needs; the FAQ page is explicit that applicants cannot choose their own mentor.
Is there a cost to join Go Succeed?
The core service is free of charge to eligible Northern Ireland businesses. The official pages describe it as funded through UK Government money (referenced on different pages as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Local Growth Fund).
How long until someone contacts me after I sign up?
Within three working days, per both the sign-up form and the individual Start, Grow and Scale programme pages. If you haven't heard back, the FAQ suggests checking your junk mail, or calling 0800 027 0639 during business hours.
What kind of businesses does Go Succeed exclude?
The FAQ page lists activities it won't support: gambling, money lending, adult entertainment, tobacco products, vaping products, cannabis products not authorised as medicines, debt factoring, hire purchase financing, and pyramid schemes.
Is the Go Succeed Grant currently open?
No. As of the official site's current content, the Go Succeed Grant is stated as closed across the Start, Grow and Scale tracks. The mentoring, workshop and events service continues to operate independently of grant status.
Reviewed 2026-08-16. Programmes change — confirm current eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.