Unlike other programs, IdeaHub offers you the opportunity to build up your business idea while getting access to markets, client contracts and revenues by working directly with some of the world’s biggest brands.
James Corbett
FAQ
Unlike other accelerator programs, IdeaHub offers you the opportunity to build up your business idea while getting access to markets, client contracts and revenues by working directly with some of the world's biggest brands.
Yes, it certainly is. We know it takes time and effort to get a startup off the ground and the journey to find funding can be long. Our focus is to take those startups selected and move them on to their next stage of development, whatever their starting point.
Unfortunately we can't provide ad hoc advice, working with the startups coming through the IdeaHub takes up all our time. However if your startup or idea fits one of the current challenges on the site, please apply and if your idea gets taken forward, advice is part of the package.
When you refer someone to an investor, you're also recommending them, and you can't recommend people you don't know. If you're looking for investors, your best bet is to find friends of friends who've started or worked for startups, and ask for intros to their investors.
We target £25,000 per venture to get you started, but it could be more or less, depending on what’s required for your business. The goal is usually to give you enough money to build an impressive prototype or version 1, which you can then use to get further funding to build out your business.
Many of the innovators who apply don't need the money. And in fact the money is a only a small part of what IdeaHub does. The money we invest ensures that the people who do need money can cover their living expenses while our accelerator is happening; it's enough to get you started. The real value comes in being able to gain access to our network of partners, customers and markets, and working directly with some of the world’s biggest brands.
We'll still fund you, but instead of trying to build something launchable in three months, the goal becomes to build an impressive proof of concept so we can see what we'd be investing in.
We'll consider funding you, but your chances are about ten times better if you find yourself a technical cofounder. It's much better if you find one yourself through friends of friends than if we introduce you to someone. Teams thrown together for the purpose of starting a startup usually fall apart under stress. You need some kind of personal connection.