Built Different
An Entrepreneurial Foundation making a difference in the world.
The Alto Volo Foundation was created by Serial Entrepreneur Leon Heywood as a way for him to address the injustices he saw worldwide.
Our Journey began in Santiago Chile, when we were formed by Leon to allow him to help children from poorer families still have an amazing education. Our first project was to find those children across Chile who showed an extraordinary commitment to their learning but could not afford to go to the best schools. These children would be awarded scholarships and we would not only help them relocate closer to their school but we would cover all the costs of education as well.
We realised early on this was only a band-aid on a broken leg, and so we began a program of investing in underfunded schools in the poorest towns and cities across Chile. Within our first three years, we had given 30 scholarships out and invested a little over $2M in schools in the south of Chile.
Joining a new Family
In 2007 Leon sold Elixir International and relocated back to the UK.
While our Chilean team are still operational today, with Leon relocating back to the UK we needed to look at what we could do to help in the UK as well.
In 2007 we established the Alto Volo Foundation in the UK and began looking at what issues we could assist with.
One of the primary goals Leon wanted to address what the lack of proper education and support for young entrepreneurs. So we established Generation Inspiration a program that works with schools to create a real and valid "Business Studies" course that engages with both entrepreneurs and non entrepreneurs a like.
In 2010 we established our first fixed location incubator that allowed young entrepreneurs to not only access valuable resources and a workspace but also mentorship from a plethora of entrepreneurs.
It is no secret that Leon is a champion of women in business, he is extremely proud of his 60% women board of directors. So it came as no surprise when Leon wanted to create a program that championed women in the work place and helped them either start their own business or break those glass ceilings.
Well Heeled has on average, 30 events a year that help women, network, get advice and grow.
