Accelerator Programme

Are you a Tees Valley tech start-up?

The DigitalCity Accelerator programme has been designed to accelerate the growth of early-stage tech companies in the Tees Valley who are in the process of launching or planning to launch new to market products and services. 

Delivered by a team of digital industry experts, the Accelerator Programme consists of seven highly interactive weekly workshops and bespoke coaching and mentoring.

A grant of up to £5,000 is also offered to assist with essential business growth costs.

From leadership and building a team through to law/IP and raising finance – each week you’ll focus on a new topic and hear from different keynote guest speakers. All workshops will take place at Acklam Hall.

A typical workshop day is as follows:

9:30am – 12:30pm
AM Workshop

12:30pm – 1:00pm
Lunch & Guest Speaker

1:00pm – 2:30pm
PM Workshop

2:30pm – 4:00pm
Mentoring 

Programme dates and deadlines

Keep up to date with the details of our next Accelerator Programme.

Application Deadline

Monday

30TH

January

Interview Dates

Tuesday/Wednesday

7/8TH

February

Induction Workshop

Wednesday

1ST

March

Agenda

Workshop 1 – Induction & Lean / Human Centred Design: Wednesday 1st March 2023

After an initial induction around what the programme will cover, the formats used and a discussion regarding mind-set and learning methods with the group, you’ll dive straight into a Lean Up / Human Centred Design boot camp.

This includes an introduction to Design Sprints and how they’re used, the 10 principles that redefine management from a design perspective and finding out about the ‘Brand Deck’ approach for identifying brand values and brand-driven innovation.

Workshop 2 – Customer Development: Wednesday 8th March 2023

To help towards your product development decisions and market understanding, the Customer Development workshop will educate you on the importance of finding out customer pain points and identifying how your product or service can solve them.

Workshop 3 – Leadership / Building a Team: Wednesday 15th March 2023

With several interactive tasks you’ll gain an understanding of how a start-up business is different to a traditional business and the challenges they’re faced with. Including start-up capabilities, the values and responsibilities of co-founders, the struggles of being an entrepreneur and building scalability into the organisation. You’ll also find out about different team dynamics and identifying how your team will operate in a fast-moving market.

Workshop 4 – Law / IP: Wednesday 22nd March 2023

You will be offered a one-to-one session with our partner Endeavour Law who will discuss your legal requirements with you. This may include IP, copyright, patents and partnership contracts, all of which will be delivered in a friendly manner bespoke to your organisation’s needs.

Workshop 5 – Traction & Growth / Managing Change: Wednesday 29th March 2023

This workshop will equip you with the knowledge and skills your early-stage business needs to drive affordable and sustainable growth. You’ll learn market-leading mind-sets, marketing and branding hacks and the importance of keeping track of your businesses traction.

Workshop 6 – Raising Finance: Wednesday 5th April 2023

To help towards your financial decisions, you’ll be shown various business models and given help on the different sources of finance available and their benefits including Business Angels, equity investment, grants and loans. You’ll also be given guidance on the ways of structuring different types of money, business debt and the financial vocabulary used in the business world.

Workshop 7 – Pitching to Investors & Pitch Prep: Wednesday 12th April 2023

The final workshop will cover the main methods to consider in your pitch deck ahead of presenting to a wide range of potential investors at the Demo Day. You’ll find out the best ways to prepare and the level of background knowledge that you’re expected to provide. As well as tips and tricks on things to include to get the audience excited about your idea, engaged in a conversation about your business and ultimately lead to an investment.

Demo Day: Wednesday 19th April 2023 – Venue: Georgian Theatre

The Demo Day is the grand finale of the programme and provides you with a chance to pitch your digital products and services for the very first time to an audience made up of individuals and organisations that could add real value to your business. These include funding managers, investors, Local Authorities and University Research Institutes. 

Please note the Accelerator Programme will be delivered via face to face sessions.

Speaker