WE Accelerate
Closing the funding gap for women entrepreneurs through six-months of tailored coaching, 1 to 1 mentoring and a £5,000 grant.
What more could you want to accelerate your women-led start up and get you investment ready!
Applications are now closed for the 2023 WE Accelerate cohort.
Discover our 2023 cohort here.
What is WE Accelerate?
Support for women founders at pre-seed stage is, on average 50% less than men. We wanted to help bridge the gap in support between pre-accelerator and seed stage for those founders, so created WE Accelerate.
Continuing to support women-led start ups, WE Accelerate is for those pre-seed teams who have previously been on an Enterprise Lab programme and have been invited to apply.
A predominantly online programme with tailored mentoring, business coaching and a £5,000 grant, WE Accelerate will advance your start up and get you investor ready!
Learning outcomes
By the end of this programme you will:
Expand your investment opportunities and grow your network
Further your knowledge and skills to protect your business, legal, and IP status
Fine-tune your pitch deck to include a focus on business potential and financials
Enhance your business and financial model, and advance your sales plan
Continue to build a skilled and diverse team to complement your growing business
Entry requirements
- Your team lead must identify as a woman (your team members can identify as other genders or none). We use an inclusive definition of ‘woman’ and ‘women’, welcoming, but not limited to, trans women.
- Team lead must be a current undergraduate, post-graduate or Early Career Researcher at Imperial College London OR must’ve graduated within the last three years (since October 2019).
- Ventures have to be at pre-seed looking to raise investment within the next 6 to 12 months with significant customer validation, prototyping track record and raised funds.
- Team has previously participated in a Enterprise Lab pre-accelerator programme such as WE Innovate, VCC or Techcelerate.
Key dates
December 2022
7 December 2022 – 12 -2pm: Welcome Lunch (in person)
w/c 12 December 2022 – 45-minute Daytime slots: Business coaching to establish your KTH Innovation Readiness Level (online).
January 2023
W/C 9 January 2023:
– Tuesday 10 January – 1 to 1 Business Coaching (online)
– Wednesday 11 January – Investment Masterclass (in person in Enterprise Lab)
W/C 16 January 2023:
– Thursday 19 January – 1 to 1 Programme Check In (online)
W/C 23 January 2023:
– Tuesday 24 January – Peer to Peer group coaching (in person in Enterprise Lab)
– 25 – 27 January – 1 to 1 Investment Coaching (in person in Enterprise Lab)
W/C 30 January 2023:
– Tuesday 31 January – 1 to 1 Business Coaching (online)
February 2023
W/C 6 February 2023:
– N/A
W/C 13 February 2023:
– Thursday 16 February – 1 to 1 Programme Check In
W/C 20 February 2023:
– Tuesday 21 February – Peer to peer group coaching (in person in Enterprise Lab)
– Thursday 23 February – 1 to 1 legal and IP
W/C 27 February 2023:
– 27 February – 3 March – 1 to 1 Sales & Negotiation
March 2023
All the below will take place online
W/C 6 March 2023:
– Tuesday 7 March – 1 to 1 Business Coaching (online)
W/C 13 March 2023:
– N/A
W/C 20 March 2023:
– 22 & 23 March – 1 to 1 Team Building (online)
W/C 27 March 2023:
– Tuesday 28 March – Peer to peer group coaching (online)
– Thursday 30 March – 1 to 1 Programme Check In (online)
April 2023
W/C 3 April 2023
– N/A
W/C 10 April 2023
– N/A
W/C 17 April 2023
– Tuesday 18 April, 5:30 – Peer Coaching (online)
– 20 – 21 April – 1 to 1 Finance Coaching (in person)
W/C 24 April 2023
– Monday 24 April – 1:1 Business coaching
– 27 & 28 – Investor Panel presentation (in person)
May 2023
W/C 1 May 2023:
– N/A
W/C 8 May 2023:
– Thursday 11 May – 1 to 1 Programme check in (online)
W/C 15 May 2023:
– Tuesday 16 May, 5:30pm – Peer to peer group Coaching (online)
– Thursday 18 May – Peer Coaching (Online)
W/C 22 May 2023:
– Wednesday 24 May 2023 – Final Showcase 1 to 4pm (in person)
– 25 – 26 May 2023 – 1 to 1 KTH Innovation Readiness Coaching (online)
FAQs
I’ve submitted my application, but haven't received a confirmation email. Should I have?
When can I expect a reply regarding my application?
We aim to notify all applicants of their status by Monday 28 November 2022.
What are the Terms and Conditions?
You can find the programme Terms and Conditions here.
How to apply
Applications for the 2023 cohort open on 10 October 2022.
