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About

The Accelerator Academy is a successful and established 12 week high growth training and mentoring programme for ambitious digital entrepreneurs looking to grow their business, through Training, Mentoring and access to capital.

Focussed on start-up and early stage high growth potential Tech, Media, Telecoms (TMT) businesses and ambitious entrepreneurs, applicants are initially assessed for suitability by a Manchester Business School devised eTeamTool assessment process, and around 25 successful Accelerator Academy participants take part in the part time (evenings / weekends) course, with 10 successful exited entrepreneurs mentoring them personally (2-3 businesses per mentor, to ensure sufficient ‘facetime’).

Accepted applicants receive the following:

  • - 150 hours of training, mentoring and support, with weekly Academy classroom sessions and workshops, fortnightly Accelerator Clinic, weekly Mentoring from a dedicated Personal Business Mentor (all exited tech entrepreneurs) and attendance at other start up and Accelerator events.
  • - Access to over £150k of offers, discounts and deals from a range of partners reflecting our position as a Tier One Accelerator
  • - Intensive, structured support with team, market and investor readiness
  • - Discounted and fixed fee legal and accounting services from our sponsors
  • - Admittance to the Accelerator Academy Alumni (upon successfully completing the programme)
  • - The opportunity to present to key early stage investors at the end of the programme

In addition, new for Semester 3, we are offering to fully refund the programme fee, for businesses that complete the programme successfully and go on to raise funding within 3 months of the end of the programme, using the new Investor Support deal, provided by White Horse Capital.

The programme ‘market tests’ business ideas and models, to give entrepreneurs the best chance of success and investor readiness.

Sponsorship subsidises the Academy, from partners who can give and get from their participation. Sponsors attend and speak at relevant sessions.

The cost for accepted applicants is £600 (plus VAT) for the full 12 week course, due to the sponsor subsidy. This is refunded when businesses complete the programme successfully and go on to raise investment within 3 months of the programme end, using the Investor Support deal mentioned above.

Additionally, Mentors and the Academy agree to buy 3-5% in participating companies, in the form of options.

Accompanying the Accelerator Academy is an Accelerator Investment Event and the proposed, new Accelerator Fund, managing up to £10m to invest in £50-250k tranches into the businesses developed through the Academy. The Academy works with a range of investment partners (including GLE, Angel Capital Group, London Business Angels, Avonmore Developments, SVB and White Horse Capital) to help ensure appropriate seed investment into the entrepreneurial businesses that are involved with the Academy programme. See Access to Capital for more details.