It plans to invite up to ten startups to gain support from experienced and successful founders geared towards achieving major business milestones, in a targeted programme starting this summer.

Devised by Peter Hopton, founder of data centre cooling company Iceotope, Venture.Community has developed a new approach to acceleration that is fairer to founders and more inclusive than traditional startup accelerators:

Instead of a limited-term engagement, founders on Venture.Community’s full accelerator programme receive targeted, hands-on support from experienced entrepreneurs geared towards achieving specific outcomes, such as funding events, and improving the likelihood of building substantial and sustainable companies.

Venture.Community operates as a series of regional cooperatives, each owned and controlled by its members. Founders admitted into its South Yorkshire accelerator exchange a small amount of equity in their companies in return for support and a stake in the initiative. This approach allows founders to build their companies within a supportive community of entrepreneurs, benefiting from the network’s collective knowledge, access, and success.

Venture.Community’s pre-acceleration programme provides founders with access to guidance and support through expert events, is open to all, and requires no fees or equity share for participation. 175 entrepreneurs have already attended expert workshops, fireside chats, and other events delivered through Venture.Community’s pre-acceleration programme.

Although Venture.Community’s accelerator is open for applications continuously, there is a deadline of 30th June 2024 for applications to feature in its September 2023 showcase event.

Founders wishing to participate in Venture.Community’s South Yorkshire accelerator should run startups that are based in or willing to relocate to the region. Applicants are invited to a workshop to hone their strategy and venture potential, and those considered to have the potential to make the most substantial market impact are given priority for the full accelerator programme.

Peter Hopton, Founder and Convenor-in-Chief of Venture.Community, comments: “We’ve broken the mould for startup acceleration in South Yorkshire, making pre-acceleration free and open to all and offering full accelerator participants an unlimited window of expert support and a stake in the ongoing success of the wider technology community in which they’re embedded.”

“South Yorkshire is the most supportive and welcoming technology ecosystem on the planet. We are seizing its spirit of innovation and inclusivity to support individual companies and the success of the technology community as a whole. We are looking for founders with strong capability and creativity, who have the potential to deliver success for their startup and support others.”