Catalyst’s Co-Founders programme for first-time entrepreneurs and early-stage start-ups is now taking applications for its Derry/Londonderry cohort.
Based at Catalyst’s Innovation Centre at Fort George in Derry, the part-time programme will take place one night a week for 10 weeks. Co-Founder teams will get access to co-working space within Catalyst to allow them to grow their own networks.
The initiative’s aim is to help bring together like-minded people interested in developing new product ideas focused on technology, engineering and science.
Since launching in Belfast in 2017, Co-Founders has delivered four cohorts involving 170 people who formed more than 50 teams - over 20 of whom are still working together.
20 of those teams have received proof of concept funding and eight have progressed to the full-time Propel pre-accelerator programme.
Of the nine teams who completed the first Co-Founders programme, three are still together and two have have received over £100,000 in funding to build and launch their products.
Participants in the new North West programme will have chance to win one of five £10,000 proof of concept grants from Innovate UK, the government’s innovation agency.
These grants will be awarded to the five teams with the best developed ideas at the end of the programme.
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Programme manager Sonya Kerr said Catalyst is hoping to attract 80 to 100 people from Derry, Letterkenny and across the North West to sign up: “Teams on Co-Founders are willing to try something different, meet new people and stretch themselves.
"We certainly don’t expect everyone to leave their jobs immediately and create a start-up but by helping people validate their ideas and build teams, it becomes a real option for many.”
Elemental Software is a ‘tech-for-good’ start-up founded by Derry entrepreneurs Jennifer Neff and Leeann Monk-Ozgul, who are backing the programme. Their company aims to bridge the gap between health, housing and communities with a range of digital solutions designed to support the strategy and practice of self-care and independence.
Leann said: “We were really lucky to meet, find we were passionate about solving the same problem and had the right chemistry to build a product and business together. But it would have been great to have had a programme like this available when we started. Catalyst providing an environment to help co-founders meet will hopefully lead to many more start-ups coming out of Derry.”
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Jennifer added: “Meeting talented and skilled people outside of your normal network, who can help test and challenge your ideas is incredibly important to building the growth-mindset and resilience you need as a start-up founder.”
Catalyst’s Innovation Centre at Fort George opened in 2014 and is fully occupied by 32 companies and 250 people working in the innovation and knowledge economy ecosystem.
The deadline for applications for the North West programme is 12 March.
Applications are now open for the programme at: co-founders.co
