Northern FemTech and Women’s Healthtech Accelerator
Northern FemTech and Women’s Healthtech Accelerator programme taking businesses to the next level
FemTech and Women’s Healthtech is becoming increasingly prominent particularly in the innovation and tech sectors. However there is still a fundamental lack of early stage investment education specific to this industry.
To address this gap, Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria and the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, in partnership with Lifted Ventures, are delighted to announce the launch of ‘The Northern FemTech and Women’s Health Tech Accelerator Programme‘, a gateway to early stage investment.
This fully funded programme brings together FemTech and Women’s Healthtech innovative businesses, alongside investment ecosystem members, to provide a cohesive accelerator programme for 10 business founders working in these sectors, with access to finance.
We are calling for applications from innovators that are solutions focused, comfortable with taking risks, interested in learning more about investment options and have designed, developed and launched a FemTech or Women’s Health business idea which is ready to be accelerated to the next level. There will be a focus on applications from Female Founded or Co-Founded businesses although the programme is open to applications from all genders.
About the Accelerator programme
Do you have:
- A FemTech or Women’s Healthtech Businesses that take a new approach to solving a problem
- New products or services which solve major issues in areas such as fertility, contraception, menopause, early diagnosis of cancer and other long term conditions
- Groundbreaking ideas that impact society on a large scale
- Developed a new product, service or process which adds value to an existing solution, or to consumers.
What you’ll gain by being a part of this accelerator:
- Develop your brand and gain support in addressing key issues
- Develop a roadmap to gain access to funding
- Design a plan for how to grow your idea or business to the next level
- Understand the investment landscape
- Build a bespoke investment plan
- Make connections with investors
- Connect with a network of supporters, founders and mentors who specialise in this sector.
This programme is open to startups, early stage businesses and founders from across the UK who operate in the FemTech and Women’s Healthtech sectors who want to learn more about access to finance, and investment. In our in person events taking place in Newcastle upon Tyne and virtual workshops, you’ll hear from industry experts and learn how to make your business investment ready. The programme concludes with an opportunity to pitch your business to seasoned investors, including angel investors.
The Programme covers:
- Business Plan Evolution – Understanding, and developing The Business Model Canvas; a framework to help visualise all the building blocks when you want to start and grow a business. Helping you to visualise what is important and focus you on addressing key areas in your business
- Accessing Funding – What options are available – Grant, Equity & Debt – Accessing Funding and Grants, the current funding landscape – what is available and what is appropriate for you and what investors are looking for
- Financial Forecasting, Legal Requirements and IP – Financial Forecasting – preparing financial projections to support business growth, Legal considerations – legal support, structures and governance to help you prepare for investment
- Developing the Pitch Deck and Investor Elevator – How to get investor ready, create a winning business pitch and set you up for business growth support conversations. The outcome of this will give each business a comprehensive business plan and a checklist for how to pitch successfully to investors, alongside powerful peer to peer learning.
- Preparing for Investor Due Diligence, and refining the business opportunity – One to One coaching for each company taking part in the programme to help refine pitch decks, and prepare for investor meetings
- On site FemTech and Women’s Healthtech business introductions
- Peer to Peer working pods
- Introductions to sector specialist active Advisory, Mentors and NED’s
- Finally, Pitch your opportunity to investors – Pitch to a panel of angel investors, and co-investors with questions and answers from the investor panel plus feedback to each participant
The programme is open to all, we are committed to supporting diverse businesses and founders.
Am I eligible?
You need to be:
- Aged 18 or over.
- A resident of the UK, or owner of a start-up business located in the UK.
- Able to commit to completing the programme including workshops and events in Newcastle. (We will be as flexible as possible and can provide support to accommodate participants’ needs, however time must be committed to completing the full programme of learning.)
Apply here before the 8th October 2024.
- We can help you to apply if needed.
- If this programme isn’t quite right for you, we can direct you to other areas of support..
Programme information
(you should be in a position to be able to commit to all)
- Workshop 1 – Accelerator Commencement – Evolving a Business Plan, making an opportunity investable – helping to visualise all the building blocks when starting and grow a business as well as helping to visualise what is important and forces users to address key areas of their business.
- 30th October 2024 10am – 1pm (In Person – Newcastle upon Tyne)
- Workshop 2 – Accessing Funding – What options are available – Grant, Equity & Debt – Accessing Funding and Grants, the current funding landscape – what is available and what is appropriate for each business (1hr virtual)
- 6th November 2024 10am – 11am
- Workshop 3 – Financial Forecasting, Legal Requirements and IP – Financial Forecasting – preparing financial projections to support business growth. Legal considerations – legal support, structures and governance to help you prepare for investment – (1.5hrs virtual)
- 20th November 2024 10am until 11.30am
- Workshop 4 – Investor Readiness, Developing the Pitch Deck and Investor Elevator – How to get investor- ready, create a winning business elevator pitch. What an investor pitch deck should include – the outcome of this will give each business a real comprehensive business plan, and how to pitch to investors.
- 3hrs in person, Newcastle upon Tyne (27th November 10am until 1pm)
- Stage 5 – Preparing for Investor Due Diligence, and refining the business opportunity – one to one coaching for each company taking part in the programme to help refine pitch decks, and prepare for investor meetings – site visits to founders (between 27th November and 15th January 2025)
- Stage 6 – Pod Groups and peer networking – bringing together cohort members in workshing groups to share problems and overcome challenges together (between 27th November and 15th January 2025)
- Stage 7 – NED & Advisory Meet Up – Introductions from the Lifted Ventures advisory network (between 27th November and 15th January 2025)
- Stage 8 – Workshop 5 – Pitch to angel investors and venture capital organisations – a high profile demo day enabling the businesses to pitch to the Lifted Ventures investor network. Questions and answers from the investor panel. Feedback and introductions to each participant.
- 3hrs in person, Newcastle upon Tyne (22nd January 2025 – 10am until 1pm)