Sector Specific London Startup Accelerator Programmes
by Startacus Admin
London is home to a vast array of accelerator programmes, from the wide open to the sector-specific. Here we have 12 programmes tailored to various specific startup sectors. This is not a definitive list and we are aiming to add to it - so please email us over at editorial@iamstartacus.net if you want to be considered.
TrueStart
Sector: Retail and consumer
Key features: Investment opportunities; soft leads; entrepreneur in residence
Duration: 4 months
Location: Westminster
TrueStart is looking for innovative and disruptive startups in the retail and consumer industries, and can open the right doors and put you in front of the right people.
The Grocery Accelerator
Sector: Food and drink
Key features: Investment of up to 60k for 15% equity (but with £20k programme fees); FMCG mentor; network of contacts; workshops and sessions with multi-discipline industry experts
Duration: 6 months
Location: Barbican
The Grocery Accelerator is designed to support young food and drink brands with high-growth potential.
R/GA IoT Venture Studio
Sector: Internet of Things
Key features: Support from Astro Studios, PCH, Stratasys, MakerBot and SOLIDWORKS; capital investment of up to £75K for up to 6% equity
Duration: 100 days
Location: Shoreditch/Old Street area
The R/GA Venture studio is the UK programme launched after the success of their New York accelerator, and provides innovative IoT startups with support from world-class design firms and industry leaders.
Pi Labs
Sector: Property
Key features: Two programme options of £50k investment for 7% equity (and £10k fee) or 5% equity warrant option for startups with traction; additional £50k available; 150+ mentors and speakers
Duration: 13 weeks
Location: Fitzrovia
Property Innovation Labs is for the property tech vertical and can open doors to top VCs and Angels. Aside from the accelerator programme, Pi Labs offers up to £2m in direct investment for seed funding.
HackTrain Accelerator
Sector: Transport/Tech (rail-specific)
Key features: Opportunity to apply technologies to either rail infrastructure or customer experience; £50k and £25k investment respectively; no fee
Duration: 6 months (infrastructure), or 3 months (customer experience)
Location: Shoreditch/Old Street area
The HackTrain offers two accelerator programmes for tech startups to apply their technologies to either rail infrastructure or customer experience (still within rail).
Geovation
Sector: Location information and technology
Key features: £20k funding; 1:1 mentoring; workshops, events, and master classes
Duration: 6 months + further 6 months if prototype is delivered
Location: Clerkenwell
Geovation is an accelerator for any startup looking to create a product or business using location information and technology. (GeoTech)
CyLon
Sector: Cyber security
Key features: 200 mentors; £15k investment for 3% equity; demo day pitching for further funding
Duration: 3 months
Location: Hammersmith
CyLon accepts any size and stage of company, but is particularly interested in small companies. Their mentors include the likes of IBM, Bank of England, and Vodafone, and many others.
Winton Labs
Sector: Data science
Key features: £5-15k stipend for no equity; access to Winton’s own mentors, data scientists, business leaders, and VC team
Duration: 3 months
Location: Hammersmith
Winton Labs is looking for innovators in the area of data science, machine learning, and the like. They provide access to plenty of their own mentors and experts, and require no equity in return for the stipend they provide.
BBC Worldwide Labs
Sector: Digital media/Technology
Key features: Access to mentors and advice from senior executives; office space and meeting rooms; potential commercial partnerships with BBC Worldwide
Duration: 6 months
Location: Television Centre in West London
BBC Worldwide Labs is looking for early stage startups within the digital media or technology space.
Central Research Lab
Sector: Tech - Hardware
Key features: Prototyping workshop and office space; mentors and on-site experts; £5k grant for 6% equity; second phase includes trip to Shenzhen, China and European manufacturers; culminates in CRL Hardware Showcase for potential buyers, investors, and partners
Duration: 9 months
Location: Hayes
Central Research Lab is looking for innovative and scalable hardware startups with two or more founders and a working prototype.
FinTech Innovation Lab London
Sector: FinTech
Key features: Mentoring and coaching; feedback from target user groups; workshops and panel discussions; PR opportunities
Duration: 3 months
FinTech Innovation Lab London is an accelerator for FinTech and InsurTech startups, with opportunities to meet with top execs and decision makers from their partner firms.
Collider Accelerator
Sector: MadTech
Key features: £30k investment (with £20k + VAT programme fee) for 10 startups, and after 4 months a further £50k for 5 of those startups, each for 8% equity; expert advice and contacts; access to over £565k in perks through F6S
Duration: 17 weeks
Location: South Bank
Collider specialises in marketing and advertising startups under two years old and SEIS eligible.
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