Sunday, 16 September 2007

Accelerator - grow your startup: free event October






Are you an entrepreneur involved in a Web 2.0 or other tech startup, or indeed any other creative business start-up, and seeking equity investment for your new (ish) enterprise? I thought this post might be especially appropriate after some of the discussion at the Girl Geek Dinner on Tuesday night.

If you're in a London-based early stage business with an established business plan, knowledgeable management, and "high growth potential," and you're seeking equity finance, then you might be interested in the GLE's Creative Business Accelerator programme - a free award-winning programme providing training, support and advice to help high potential innovative businesses in London to grow and make themselves attractive for equity investment

Funders include the City of London and support for this free programme was recently announced from Google, Oracle and BT and other supporters include the Design Council and the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

This is the 4th year of the Accelerator Programme and there will be free awareness events to find out more about the programme, starting 3 October 2007 18.00-20.00 at Central St Martins College, London (more dates and venues).

70 companies will be selected (through an application process) to attend a one day workshop in November 2007. The application process and criteria will be explained at the awareness events: "This day-long workshop will give invaluable advice from experts on investment readiness and sources of funding."

Of those 70, the 15 highest potential companies will be awarded a place on an intensive support programme, which includes individual assessment of their business, personal mentoring, and a programme of skills-focused workshops delivered by professional experts and investors, all at no charge. The companies that successfully complete the programme will attend and present their business at their Investment Marketplace Event in May 2008, attended by both VCs and business angels.

Email l.law@csm.arts.ac.uk to register for a free place at the first awareness event, or Angela Pugh at nfo@cbaccelerator.co.uk or angela.p@gle.co.uk for further details.

Would-be Web 2.0 start-ups would by the way do well to consider Jyri Engeström's excellent 5 principles for Web 2.0 success. They may also be interested in:

Via ECCA.

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