Startup Summer Accelerator 

Take your business idea to the next level with expert support and up to £3,000 in funding.

Startup Summer Accelerator 2023 - banner

Every startup founder needs a starting point and this is it

For current students and recent graduates from the University of Edinburgh the Startup Summer Accelerator is an in-person, intensive three-month programme for founders who are ready to start building. With only 12 spaces, you'll get real insights from founders, a cohort of fellow participants to push you forward, and the structure to make serious progress. 

Past participants have called it "the best programme in Edinburgh to accelerate your business from idea to reality." Of you want structure, challenge and the right connections to move faster than you would alone, this is the programme for you. 

The programme covers the key topics you'll need to think about as you build your business - from marketing and finance to investment and more. 

What you'll get:

  • Up to £3,000 to put towards your business
  • A chance to pitch for further funding at the in-person showcase
  • Insights and guidance from entrepreneurs and investors
  • A two-hour in-person workshop every Thursday afternoon, with occasional one-hour Friday sessions 

A full schedule will be uploaded to this page in due course. 

 

Eligibility 

At least one co-founder must be a current University of Edinburgh student or recent graduate within two-years of graduating (the University of Edinburgh affiliated founder will need to attend all core sessions). 

You'll also need to be on a visa that permits you to engage in business activity or transitioning to a visa that allows you to engage in business activity within six months. Please make sure you understand the terms of your visa before applying.

Funding conditions and eligible expenditure details can be found in this document. 

What’s included? 

  • Up to £3,000 in funding to develop your business
  • Guidance from experienced entrepreneurs and investors
  • Weekly workshops on finance, pitching, sustainability and marketing
  • Networking opportunities with fellow founders and the chance to pitch for a share of a prize fund at the final showcase 

 

Deadline: Tuesday 5th May at 10am 

Unsure if it's the right fit? Register for our information webinar on 22nd April at 12noon or email sarah.gibbens@ei.ed.ac.uk with any questions. 

 

SHOWCASE

At the end of the Startup Summer Accelerator the cohort pitch to an audience of investors and those within the entrepreneurial community. Usually takes place at the end of August or beginning of September. A date and booking link will be published here. 

 

AI Gill 

Founders: Gillian Batty, Graham Curran, Jamie Love and Catherine Snaith 

A closed AI App offering people an interactive real time intervention that helps them to reduce anxiety through developing a greater understanding of the system that creates the anxious state and instructions on how to engage and influence it. 

 

Broonie 

Founders: Colton Botta, Max Norris, Vidminas Vizgirda and Amalia Maifatul

Bronnie empowers schools with cutting edge tools, currently foucsing on local and secure AI systems to help school staff enhance educational outcomes. 

 

Descrai 

Founders: Adithya Kumar and Ramiz Nathani 

Building retail checkout automation for brick and mortar businesses by using computer vision to instantly create bills, reducing checkout time and error while improving customer interaction. 

 

Elevate.Ed

Founders: Aurian Vanden Dael, Lorenzo Platt and Efe Unal 

Elevat.Ed is a digital consulting accelerator that connected high school students with real-world NGO projects, combining structured and professional mentorship to deliver mutually beneficial experiences, while transforming CAS requirements into a meaningful journey for students. 

 

EssAI 

Founder: Meiram Zhandidin 

An AI-powered platform that helps people improve their creative and academic writing with unique features: a vocabulary and grammar trainer based on micro-learning, gamification to stay motivated, a user-friendly interface and both AI and expert feedback on writing. 

 

KUMA

Founders: Isha Singh and Ana-Maria Railean 

KUMA is a privacy-first platform that helps families capture and transform voice memories into private podcasts, audiobooks, or memory books, using AI to enhance and organise stories effortlessly, making storytelling easy, natural and deeply personal for people.

 

LactIQ 

Founders: Jaiden Thomson, Alexander Dewhurst and Jovan Vojnovic

LactIQ is a continuous, non-intrusive lactate monitoring solution designed to aid and inform the training of endurance athletes.

 

Marine Magic 

Founders: Muhammad Farhan Aslam 

Transforming bioethanol production by harnessing bioengineered marine yeast with seaweed and seawater, conserving vital freshwater and arable land.

 

Note 

Founders: Silvia Shen, Joshua Slaughter and Lunan Zhao 

Note are enhancing efficiency in primary care by developing a digital platform (app/software) that gathers and synthesises longitudinal patient data to aid GPs with patient interview preparation, data interpretation and diagnosing/triaging.

 

Thermaquatic

Founders: Jingwen Lei and Ella Sapsford 

A 'cradle-to-grave' eco-friendly, seaweed-based insulation material for cold chain transport and storage that is a non-toxic alternative to petroleum-based foams—helping cold chain logistics companies and their partners reduce emissions.


 

Hear from past participants 

The Startup Summer Accelerator is an amazing programme! Through participating, we learned useful skills, upgraded our pitch deck to professional quality and built connections with both professional advisers and other founders. I would highly recommend it for startups of all stages!

2025 participant 

The Accelerator is ultimately what you put into it. You're grouped with driven founders and connected to experienced professionals who pressure-test your thinking. For me, it clarified key parts of my business: where it can scale, where it doesn't need venture capital and what to prioritise next. Learning those limits early was as valuable as the funding we received! 

2025 participant 

Not for you? Why not try...

Startup Basics - programme 

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or simply curious about the world of startups, our comprehensive Startup Basics programme is tailored to meet your needs. Equip yourself with the essential knowledge. resources and guidance to kickstart your entrepreneurial journey. With a series of workshops that cover topics such as: validating your startup, prototyping, pitching and funding. 


This article was published on