Hundreds of members of the public walk down a residential street looking hopeful

The UK's first citizen incubator

Our communities are filled with hidden entrepreneurs with the innovative ideas and passion to drive change that come from lived experience. Yet without financial security and the right opportunity, they are held back from becoming the social entrepreneurs we need.

The time has come to change that.

THE PROBLEM

Public life doesn't involve the public

Those creating solutions to our most pressing social problems are almost never the people experiencing them on the ground. To reverse declining public trust and rising social issues we must unlock our biggest untapped resource - the nation's hidden entrepreneurs.

Our portfolio
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Crisis of trust
Only 27% of people trust government - a record low
Urgent need
1 in 5 Britons are now living below the poverty line
Public demand
75% of people think communities should have  a greater say
Our portfolio
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A UNIQUE SOLUTION

Citizen First

Citizen First is a fully-salaried 12 month incubator that supports hidden entrepreneurs to drive social change hand-in-hand with their communities.

Mission driven
Each year we recruit hidden entrepreneurs onto missions to tackle major social issues facing them and their communities.
Community led
They are paid a year’s Real Living Wage and given industry leading support to invent new solutions with hundreds locally.
Social businesses
Community-led ideas are turned into sustainable and investable social businesses that have legacy.
Our team
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Join the 2025/26 Incubator
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A PROVEN MODEL

From experiment to national incubator

After seven years of design and delivery, our unique model is in its third iteration and scaling nationwide.

Our portfolio
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80%
businesses invented won funding
5,000
citizens engaged in local communities
£6.26
social return for every £1 invested in programme year alone.
Our portfolio
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Our track record
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OUR STORY

The citizen incubator model

Our unique and proven approach is the result of seven years pioneering work involving thousands, led by award-winning social entrepreneur James Green.

7 years building
3 new iterations
1 unique model
Our team
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About us
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A headshot of Dave Allen, Founder of ?WhatIf! Innovation
I believe Public Life has the potential to change the way we tackle our country's most pressing social problems.
Dave Allan
Founder, ?WhatIf! Innovation
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Headshot of Karen Badenoch
Where James leads brave people follow and they and their communities reap the rewards.
Karen Badenoch
Programme Participant and Founder of Trusted Money Confidence
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opinion

Why we need to unlock our nation's hidden entrepreneurs.

Opinion
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