Global accelerator fund offers £25k per founder

A global competition is offering up to £25,000 cash per founder to encourage growth among start-up businesses, and games developers are welcome.

The Dotforge accelerator is a new programme to fast-track start-ups and is looking to attract a range of businesses to Sheffield, UK.

The accelerator programme is backed by a group of Yorkshire private investors and Creative England, who canal capital through the Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

Participating start-ups can get up to £25,000 per founder in seed capital, an optional entrepreneur loan and access to over £150,000 of follow-on funding. Additionally, $300,000 of perks and deals from the likes of Amazon Web Services and Rackspace, plus free office accommodation and one-to-one support from leading mentors, investors and specialists to help accelerate your business. In return, the accelerator takes six per cent equity.

The programme is open to start-ups worldwide. Those that are successful will undergo an intense 13-week boot camp that aims to develop and deliver a robust, globally-connected business. It culminates in pitch days in front of international investors and tech press.

The Dotforge programme is particularly interested in start-ups with a B2B or big data focus, and will also appeal to businesses looking to leverage the region’s leading elearning, ehealth and public sector supply chains and networks.

The closing date for applications is 12pm Monday, February 25th. If you are interested in applying, visit: www.dotforgeaccelerator.com