Early-stage start-up founders have just over a week to apply for Ignite NI’s Propel 2020 pre-accelerator.
Lasting for an intensive six months, the programme starts in January 2020 and will help Northern Ireland start-ups test their ideas and launch a product to the market.
Companies that secure a place on the programme will each receive £15,000 equity-free, 12 months free co-working space in the Ormeau Baths and the opportunity to meet more than 300 experienced mentors.
Teams will get the opportunity to explore other markets, attend weekly workshops with experts, pitch to top investors and access a network of over 500 Ignite alumni founders who between them have raised more than $100m. Teams that excel in the programme also have the chance to add an extra £20,000 in funding by winning awards.
Supported by Invest NI, the programme is seeking idea stage pre-launch companies and people working in existing tech jobs looking to make their side project a reality.
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The 2019 cycle saw teams reach 350 customers in over 40 countries, close deals in Asia, raise money and generate five-figure monthly recurring revenue.
Phil McElnay, a former surgeon, is the CEO of MedAll and launched his collaborative network for medics on the Propel 2019 programme.
He said that it “helped [our team] focus on our mission and our users rather than our product. No longer were we just building an app, we were forming a community of healthcare professionals who wanted to collaborate to radically improve healthcare.
“Within three weeks, we grew to 1000 customers helping medics across the UK collaborate on ground-breaking research.”
Chris McClelland, Programme Director of Ignite NI warned that the deadline for applications is fast approaching and added that the programme is “tailored for technology companies but you don’t have to write code to be accepted – 50% of founders last year weren’t technical.
“From the first day, teams are stress-testing their assumptions, learning from customers, generating revenue, finding the best way to fund their business; whatever it takes to help founders be successful.”
Applications close on 8 November 2019. Click here to apply.
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