Leicester
Startups

Leicester Startups Accelerator

Leicester Startups Accelerator: 26th October to 4th December 2020

 

Being a startup founder can be daunting, especially if it’s an ambitious and innovative business idea, but it doesn’t have to be…

Leicester Startups presents a brand new accelerator programme to help you grow your startup. We’ve pulled together a whole community of experienced founders and business experts into a high-tempo six-week programme of mentorship, networking and motivation.

“It takes a city to raise a start-up”

Whether you want to get investor ready, grow sales faster or just learn what your customers really need, we can help you.

The programme is completely free with no equity taken, but places are limited and subject to a selection process and eligibility criteria described below.

 

Our Team & Community

Leicester Startups has been helping founders of local start-ups since 2013 through events, networking and mentoring. Here are some of the amazing people we have ready to help you (more to be announced soon):-

David Chan

David is a serial tech founder and also Entrepreneur in Residence at CyLon.  He founded his first tech startup while still an undergraduate at Imperial College and has co-founded/worked in multiple startups in the UK and Silicon Valley doing CRM, eCommerce and cyber security. David has a wealth of experience in business, software development, and startup environments.

 

 

Sophie Hainsworth

Sophie is the CEO and cofounder of award-winning place promotion app LoyalFree which helps people discover exclusive deals, exciting local events and fun interactive trails across 25 UK towns and cities. Sophie’s skills include social media communications, marketing strategy, business strategy, business growth, data analytics, public speaking, sales and lead generation.

 

 

Phil Zeidler

CEO of DeadHappy, Phil is a serial entrepreneur who has set up and run various successful business in the insurance sector and invested in a number of business’ from music, sports clothing and the insurance sector. Specialties: leadership, strategic planning, account management, budgeting, business development, business plans, change management, contract management, delivery, direct marketing, executive management, finance, marketing, relationship management, sales, tender writing.

 

 

Pamela Sharpe

Founder of Mela & Sharpe and Brooks & Sharpe. Pam is a serial entrepreneur with over 11 years in e-commerce and business consulting, investment advisor and a mentor and volunteer with Prince’s Trust, Virgin Start Up, SCALEINK and City University of London.

 

 

 

Jim Shields

Founder of Twist & Shout Communications, based in Leicester and Dallas, Texas. He is one of the early pioneers that uses comedy to help companies achieve notoriety, despite their crushingly dull products and services. He’s also written two books (one bestseller) about the relationship between creative individuals and the companies they work for. https://www.threeguysbook.com

 

 

Samantha Tubb

Samantha is an investor and strategic advisor with a portfolio of small business investments and non-executive positions including ScholarPack, a cloud-based management information system for primary schools, Dorothy & Theodore (e-commerce) and Bred’s Foods (food manufacture.) Samantha’s mentoring approach for growing teams includes topics ranging from finance (both internal management and external fund raising), to the trade-offs required to maximise growth potential, to practical sales and marketing approaches.

 

 

Ben Ravilious

CEO, ParticiPoll (audience polling startup) and co-founder at UltimateWeb (websites and apps for startups).

Ben is also the founder of Leicester’s tech startup community and runs regular events, and represent tech business in the city.

 

 

Gavin Loftus

20 years of senior FMCG Marketing and Sales experience.  Having worked in senior commercial roles in the UK and internationally with Nestle, Diageo, Reckitt Benckiser, Associated British Foods and most recently at Weetabix, where he led the marketing growth agenda for a disruptive start-up business, growing revenue to +£20m in 4 years.

 

 

 

Many more mentors and experts to be announced soon….

 

The Programme

Through the LS Accelerator we’ll provide a selected cohort of founders (including first-time entrepreneurs) a structured 6-week programme of workshops, round tables & mentoring. The programme is a mix of 1-2-1 mentoring, classroom learning and independent working, tailored to your start-up’s unique needs. We’ll help you focus on, and solve, the most critical challenges holding you back as you move through developing, shaping and validating your business.

Throughout the programme you’ll learn about:-

  • Customer Development: Learn how to talk to prospective customers in a way that reveals their true needs and validates your business model assumptions.
  • Pivoting: Learn when and how to change course
  • Product Development: Learn the best practices and team management techniques to release a higher quality solution.
  • Business Growth: Learn some of the best strategies to grow your business, including a few organic and viral growth hacking mechanisms.
  • Revenue Models and Pricing: Learn the components, benefits and disadvantages of different revenue models and pricing structures.
  • Marketing Plans: Develop the marketing messages that resonate with target customers and how to reach them. Understand the ways of measuring the effectiveness of your efforts.
  • Hiring your Team: Identify the roles that you need to build a fast growth business. Learn about the resources and tactics you can use to find, train and build with your team.
  • Mastering your Sales Message: Building rapport and speaking the language necessary to sell your product to investors or customers
  • Financial Reporting & Forecasting: Learn basics of developing and interpreting your financial forecasts.
  • Equity and Funding: Learn about the different fundraising and partnering options and how to build a Pitch Deck.
  • Mental Health: learn how to cope with the pressure of running a start-up.

 

Venue & Virtual

Covid restrictions permitting, group and 1-2-1 activities will be delivered from our new COVID safe co-working space. We’ve also made provision to deliver our whole programme via livestream and video conferencing. All speaker sessions will also be recorded.

 

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for our accelerator you must fit the following criteria:-

  • Working on a start-up with an innovative, scalable business model (please note this programme is not suitable for freelance, consultancy or lifestyle businesses)
  • A working prototype (or “MVP”) product/service, preferably with active users.
  • Ability to rapidly develop the business in-house
  • Able to commit to a six-week flexible programme of around 25 hours per week
  • Based in Leicester or Leicestershire (ideally a registered company)

Most accelerators focus on making start-ups investment-ready and this will be one of the main aims for our programme with investment advisors available. However, the programme also encourages applications by “bootstrap” model businesses who are purely seeking growth rather than investment.

We believe diversity makes for more successful startups and warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds”

If you’re not sure whether this is for you or would like further information please do drop us an email at accelerator@leicesterstartups.com, or contact Sam Larke on 07794 601005.

 

Application Process

To apply, please click on the application questionnaire link below and complete your response by 5pm on 9thOctober 2020:-

https://forms.gle/FYuC6nJ7fzo9P47n7

We will shortlist and interview eligible applicants and announce the successful participants by 16th October 2020.

 

Sponsors & Supporters

Enabled by Leicester Start-up Co-working Project, funded by LLEP (Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership), project lead University of Leicester and De Montfort University, LCB Depot (Leicester City Council) and CASE