Accelerator Academy - Educating Emerging Entrepreneurs

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 an online assessment, and around 10-12 successful companies are selected (25 entrepreneurial founders and co-founders) as Accelerator Academy participants to take part in the part time (evenings / weekends) course, with successful exited TMT 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.
• Free workspace at the Innovation Warehouse, Farringdon for founders for the duration of the programme (& discounted thereafter)
• Access to thousands of pounds of free support, offers, discounts and deals from a range of partners reflecting our position as a Tier One Accelerator.
• Intensive, structured support around team, market and investor readiness.
• Discounted and fixed fee legal and accounting services from our sponsor partners.
• Admittance to the Accelerator Academy Alumni (upon successfully completing the programme), providing ongoing support, events, investor introductions and regular news / offers.
• The opportunity to present to key early stage investors at the end of the programme.

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

Costs and Sponsorship

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 applicant companies 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 Accelerator Investor Support deal provided by our partner; White Horse Capital LLP.

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

Full Refund Of The Fee

We offer 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 Accelerator Investor Support deal, provided by White Horse Capital.

Access to Capital

Accompanying the Accelerator Academy is an Accelerator Investment Event (see video clips below). The Academy works with a range of investment partners (including GLE, Angel Capital Group, MidVen, London Business Angels, Avonmore Developments and White Horse Capital) to help ensure appropriate seed investment into the entrepreneurial businesses that are involved with the Academy programme. These events have drawn over 700 investors to date, and resulted in around 40 investments being made into Accelerator Academy graduate companies, with over £10m of seed funding committed to date.

The Accelerator Academy is the first UK accelerator to be invited to join the UK Business Angel Association trade body, reflecting its key role in connecting high growth startups to appropriate seed capital.

Accelerator Fund

Accompanying the Accelerator Academy and the Accelerator Investment Event is the proposed, new Accelerator Fund, managing up to £10m to invest in £500-750k tranches into successful businesses developed through the Accelerator Academy (and selected partner accelerators). The Accelerator Fund will make follow on investments, where an angel round has been successfully closed, and the business has made significant progress, and is at or approaching breakeven. The Fund is currently being prepared for launch. See ‘Stage Six – The Accelerator Fund’ section (below, right) for more details.