Ignite North East has officially launched its 2024 Accelerator Programme and is now accepting applications.
The programme will take place across August and September this year, and will be the last programme delivered through the Digital Pipeline project, funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
The 2024 Accelerator Programme is open to startups that are currently fundraising or planning to do so. Participants will benefit from intensive mentoring, workshops, and connections with experienced entrepreneurs and investors. The programme also includes a fully funded trip to San Francisco, offering valuable exposure to the global tech community and potential international investors.
Jo York, CEO of Ignite, said, “We are looking for ambitious founders ready to advance their fundraising efforts and start scaling their businesses. The quality of applications to our previous programmes has been outstanding, and we expect the same level this year.
“Over the last three years we’ve seen multiple companies go from the very early stages of traction, to securing significant investment and even go onto exit within a couple of years of taking part in the programme. We’re looking for startup founders with the same level of ambition to join the final programme as part of the North East Digital Business Pipeline project.”
Ignite has a proven track record of supporting successful startups, and recent alumni have enjoyed significant success. Manufacturing software SQCDP and AI martech platform Polybox, which both participated in the 2023 Accelerator Programme, recently secured £200,000 and £500,000 pre-seed funding, respectively. Meanwhile Gridfinder, a participant in the 2022 Accelerator Programme, was acquired in a seven-figure deal earlier this year.
Tom Bunten, CEO of Gridfinder, said: “Ignite taught us to think globally. Gridfinder is a regional business, but it has access to an international market. This realisation transformed our business strategy and empowered us to access a whole host of incredible opportunities, ultimately growing Gridfinder to a successful exit.”
Stephen Mitchell, Co-Founder and CEO of SQCDP, added: “We’ve seen that we can solve problems for manufacturers close to home here in the North East and are now in a position to start to scale. We learned loads through the Ignite programme and in raising our pre-seed round. The investment will help us start onboarding new customers remotely and grow the team.”
Applications for the Ignite 2024 Accelerator Programme are now open. Interested startups can apply online. Early submission is encouraged due to the competitive nature of the selection process.
