Start-up stardom hit Elevator this week as we celebrated the end of our 2019 accelerator programmes.
Showcases for our Aberdeen and Dundee Flagship programme, Famous Grouse Ideas Centre Creative, ONE Digital and Moray Accelerator all powered by Elevator took place across Scotland with our entrepreneurs taking to the stage to pitch their business ideas.
Programme facilitators, Cat Ward, Lynne Martin, Karen Clark, Alisdair Gunn and Richard Cormack Corrigan, watched on with pride as their prodigies lit up the stage with their entrepreneurial flair.
From the initial eureka moment, to a ten or eleven figure valuation through to that first sale – and not to mention hopefully making the first million, we know the journey of an entrepreneur isn’t always smooth sailing. We have designed each accelerator to help remove barriers to success and - with an injection of hard work, help each to climb the ladder faster.
We provide participants - known as founders - with the knowledge, know-how and expertise to take their ideas through to market validation, and beyond.
And, this new crop of start-ups and established businesses are ready to hit the ground running. At the end of their 12-week programmes each broke down one of the most fear-provoking barriers – pitching to potential investors.
With just the right amount of coaching, and a huge pinch of bravery, each founder projected their thinking, vision and story to a new level, leaving the audience starstruck…in the best way possible!
Even though this week celebrated the end of their accelerator journey, for our founders this is just the beginning. Our growing network of contacts and our entrepreneurial ecosystem continues to provide support long after the programme is complete. We encourage each to foster their new connections and relationships in the knowledge that Elevator is here to offer help and support wherever their vision and ambition may take them.
For some, joining the accelerator programme cemented the first tentative entrepreneurial step into the world of business. While there is no guarantee of success, we believe that with the right drive and resilience and by applying what they have learned on the programme, our founders are best equipped to ‘fail fast, learn fast, fail again but fail better’….
After all, being an accelerator alumnus stacks the odds of success in their favour!
You can find out more about our accelerator offering here.
Back to all blogs