The programme will support IoT companies to develop and grow their business through a tailored programme, it provides:

• Benchmark results and roadmap development: Companies will be provided with a baseline assessment of their IoT product’s technical capabilities and design, and be supported to create a development roadmap.  Enabling participants to better understand how to improve performance, or alternative approaches to serve target markets and speed to market.
• Access to customers: Via mentorship, a demonstration day and an executive evening, Digital Catapult will match organisations with potential customers. With its depth of market knowledge it will provide valuable feedback and highlight possible adjacent markets to explore. Finally focused workshops and pitch training the cohort will prepare a commercially-focused pitch for the final demonstration day.
• Focused IoT workshops: Cohorts will have access to a series of workshops held at Digital Catapult’s London office on topics including manufacturing products at scale, selecting the right commercialisation partners and how to improve pipelines through sales, PR and marketing.
• Access to expertise: Cohorts will have access to Digital Catapult’s leading future networks (IoT and 5G) and artificial intelligence (AI) expertise alongside existing lab partners (such as Arrow). This is further enhanced by an extensive network of specialist support including marketing, sales, outsourcing partners and presentation expertise.
• Access to facilities: Access to IoT testing environment and Digital Catapult’s Future Networks Lab, enabling startups to explore and test different connectivity options.

Who should apply?

This unique programme has been designed for highly innovative and ambitious startups and scaleups working with IoT technologies.

Digital Catapult is looking for UK companies that:

• Have a product in market
• Have a clear product development challenge
• Have established organisational functions – this programme is not for those seeking to create an IoT startup but for established startups with a well-defined business plan
• At any investment stage
• Companies that have identified an access to market challenge

Key Dates (*subject to change)

Open call closes at 23:59 on Friday 28 February 2020
Selection and on-boarding – 2 March – 4 April 2020
Twelve week accelerator – 8 April – 7 July 2020
Launch event –  8 April 2020*
Executive evening – 4 June 2020*
Customer demo day – 7 July 2020*

Application and selection process

• Companies register interest in the Future Networks Lab Accelerator on Digital Catapult’s website
• Applicants will receive a separate application form that must be completed by the open call closing date (28 Feb 2020 at 23:59)
• All applications will be reviewed and scored by Digital Catapult and a shortlist of applicants will be created
• Shortlisted applicants will be invited for video link interview as an opportunity to discuss their applications and offers further
• Applicants will be notified of success as part of the latest cohort in April 2020.