The CLIMB Programme – Creative Leaders Innovating for Market and Business Growth – is a dynamic two-year initiative designed to empower creative entrepreneurs to scale their businesses, embrace innovation, and strengthen their leadership capabilities.
Developed by CREW, the CLIMB Programme supports creative digital entrepreneurs through targeted training, personalised mentorship, and access to a vibrant digital community, enabling participants to grow their business.
Participants will gain the tools, insights, and networks required to lead with confidence, adapt to industry change, and capitalise on emerging opportunities in Ireland’s growing creative digital economy.
CLIMB is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021–27.
The CLIMB Programme combines six flexible courses, a six-month structured mentorship programme, annual accelerator bootcamps, and access to CREW’s digital community.
Each element is designed to nurture creativity, build commercial acumen, and develop leadership capacity within the digital creative sector.
The CLIMB Programme is ideal for:
CREW’s CLIMB Courses offer targeted, flexible learning for entrepreneurs and SMEs across the digital creative ecosystem, focusing on the critical skills needed for market and business growth. Developed as part of CLIMB – Creative Leaders Innovating for Market & Business Growth, this programme supports high-potential digital creative businesses through providing access to tailored growth supports.
Participants can enrol in a single course or combine several. Alongside structured learning, the courses offer networking opportunities, access to mentorship, and a useful collection of digital resources and tools designed to support continued growth and development.
Cost: The cost to participant is €160 – €200 euro per short course. The programme is being offered to the SME at 20% of the market rate (the full programme is valued at €800 – €1000) with the remaining 80% supported by Enterprise Ireland Smart Region scheme.
The cost to participant is €160 – €200 euro per short course. The programme is being offered to the SME at 20% of the market rate (the full programme is valued at €800 – €1000) with the remaining 80% supported by Enterprise Ireland Smart Region scheme.
The CLIMB Accelerator Bootcamp is an intensive 8-week growth programme designed to help ambitious founders ready to grow their businesses, expand into new markets, strengthen their leadership and scale with confidence.
Unlike traditional accelerators, CLIMB has been designed around the realities of creative, IP-led and digital creative businesses, recognising that founders often struggle to find scale-up support that reflects their business models and growth challenges.
The programme focuses on four core themes: systems, strategy & operational scale, market expansion & IP for creative businesses, funding, investment & pitch readiness and team development & leadership.
The CLIMB Accelerator Bootcamp features expert workshops and masterclasses, founder conversations and fireside chats, mentoring and coaching, and peer learning and accountability. It provides founders with the practical tools, expert insights, and strategic focus needed to move from ambition to accelerated action.
The new CREW Virtual Community platform is an interactive online platform to foster collaboration, resource sharing, and peer-to-peer engagement. CREW Virtual Community acts as a central hub for knowledge exchange and networking for CLIMB participants on our Mentorship Programme, Short Courses and our Accelerator Bootcamp, ensuring sustained support for creative professionals and long-term access to learning materials and networks.
Please note that you must be accepted onto the CLIMB programme to access the platform at this time.
