#5 WTF are Accelerators??
You've probably heard me mention accelerators, but what are they and why are they relevant for Friday Funding Chats? Let's find out...
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Whats in this edition:
💸 The Sage prize is back! And more Top Opportunities
💸 What are Accelerators?
💸 Funding news
💸 Funding Events
This Weeks Top Opportunities
Award Sage x The Hundred Competition - win £10k (runners up get £4k) and in stadium branding at The Hundred (don’t ask, I have no idea).
Incubator & Accelerators by Just Transition - offers two programmes depending on your stage, with full support and pitch prizes of £3,500-5,000.
Scholarship Joe Casely-Hayford Scholarship at BFC - an exciting opportunity for black or mixed heritage background students in fashion design.
Award AXA Angel Startup Competition - £25,000 is up for grabs, not to mention 12 months of mentoring with incredible mentors to further your business.
Accelerator Undaunted are launching Cohort 9 of their The Greenhouse Accelerator. They are looking for ambitious early-stage climate startups ready to build, test and scale their solutions with expert support, £20k equity-free grant.
These Top Opportunities were lifted from the Funding Opportunities Database, a unique listing of over 50 grants, awards, accelerators and other funding opportunities for your small business (with a focus on creatives and social & environmental impact). For full access to the database, upgrade for just £4 a month. Plus get Friday Funding Chats Live, and interviews with founders who have funded.
What Are Accelerators
You may have noticed that I have mentioned a few Accelerators in the Top Opportunities I find for you. I deliberately label the opportunities so that you can understand the variety of them on offer, and begin to differentiate them to see which ones are right for you.
So what are Accelerators? Like Incubators and Launchpads they are programmes designed to support businesses to grow. Some are sector specific, some are values specific, some are stage specific (ie: ideas, MVP, trading etc). In general, they will offer a range of learning and networking opportunities to support your business to grow into it’s next stage, more quickly than if you had been left to your own devices. Some, crucially offer grant or equity funding (meaning they take a percentage of equity in return for money).
I could wax lyrical about all the benefits of accelerators, but I know you’re time poor so I’ll illustrate just a few key ones here.
Cash - I don’t need to tell you how helpful cash would be for your business. But the great thing about Accelerators is that they teach you how to spend the cash wisely too.
Networks - Accelerators generally leverage large networks for founders from previous cohorts, or experts who lead workshops and programmes. They present amazing opportunities to grow your network.
Learning - the main goal is to teach you the skills you need to increase the growth of your business. For example; finances, legal, sales or product development. They may also seek to grow your confidence and give you actionable tools to take away with you?
How do you find and apply to accelerators? The same way you would with grants or competitions. Figure out where you need to be and get involved. Find communities, newsletters, local authorities etc and schedule time to consistently engage with them. We also have offers in the Funding Opportunities Database that, if they aren’t right for you right now, are worth subscribing to notifications for if and when things change in the future.
Bear in mind that some may be free and others require a buy in. If the latter, weigh up the ROI (return on investment) your for, because, as the old saying goes ‘you have to speculate, to accumulate.’
As someone who has taken part in incubators, programmes and accelerators, I see them as highly valuable tools that either kick start, or accelerate your growth. I always learnt a lot and the contacts I have made have been invaluable further down the line. Plus, taking cash for your business through accelerators is often stipulation and equity free meaning you don’t need to repay it, or justify how you spend it. (Unless money is given in return for equity, then it becomes a more long term shareholder agreement.)
Question: What is equity?
Answer: The value of the shares issued by a company. For example, as a Limited Liability Company (Ltd), you own 100% of your shares. You may decide to give away shares to a team member in return for services (a Fractional role or ‘sweat equity’), or to sell them to an investor for cash.
Funding News:
Sie Foundations launches - Sie Ventures is offering early stage founder a 4 week intensive ‘ready to raise investment’ course. Applications are open, you have until 30th August to apply.
Entrepreneurship World Cup - is one of the biggest global pitch competitions with entrepreneurs from 200 countries competing for a share of $1.5 million, plus millions more in investment opportunities, support, and publicity. Deadline to apply is 30th June.
Applications are now open for the Business for Good West Yorkshire Growth & Resilience Programme 2025–26, delivered by the School for Social Entrepreneurs.
Events
SE100 x Natwest Social Business Awards, presenting the annual SE100 Social Business Awards to winners from seven categories for their achievements across social impact.
15th July, Manchester & Online
BIPC x Lewisham Local Friday Fundraising Club - join Plinth AI and learn about their exciting new software to help you find and apply to grants and awards. They will also cover other funding basics.
4th July, 1-2pm online
Undaunted are offering early stage Climate Tech founders a monthly feedback session to pitch in a small group setting and receive radically honest, constructive feedback from the Greenhouse team and their peers.
July 23rd, White City, London
Get Fundraise Ready with Seedlegals - Seeders are a crowd funding website for shares, so it you are interested in their free support, I highly recommend there support arm, Seedlegals events to get clear on what you need to do to get funding ready.
1st July, London
Pitch Clinic for Women Entrepreneurs - Hive Founders run twice monthly online pitch clinics for female or female identifying entrepreneurs. Even if you just attend, it’s a valuable experience to understand what a great pitch looks like and get feedback.
3rd July, Online
Before You Go
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