All of the companies are at a stage where they are looking to raise between £250,000 and £1m in funding and over the course of the 12-week accelerator they will receive mentoring and practical advice from start-up experts and investors to equip them on that journey.
Participants on the Invest Northern Ireland backed accelerator also receive a £15,000 convertible loan and nine months’ free co-working space at the Ormeau Baths tech hub in Belfast. Along with connecting with the tech ecosystem in Belfast, they will also benefit from attending study visits to to London, San Francisco and New York to meet other tech sector founders and investors.
Six companies on the programme are from Northern Ireland with one from Liverpool, one from London, one from Dublin and one from Cambridge, via New Zealand and Australia.
Tristan Watson , Programme Director at Ignite NI, said: “We are hugely excited to welcome the first cohort of creative and ambitious tech companies on to the inaugural Ignite NI Accelerator. These are companies who have already gained traction and we look forward to helping them accelerate the development of their businesses.
“It is particularly gratifying that companies from England and Dublin are joining the programme, with one of our founders even hailing from as far away as New Zealand and Australia. It is testament to the fact that Belfast’s tech scene is rapidly evolving into a desirable location for like-minded entrepreneurs to cultivate their start-up companies.”
Niall Casey, Invest NI’s Director of Skills and Strategy, said: “It is great to see the first cohort of the Ignite NI accelerator up and running and the ambition of the companies involved is encouraging. By supporting pioneering entrepreneurs like this we can help create our high performing companies of the future.”
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