The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Jobshopeas entrepreneur course ends in showcase
12-week Dundee Accelerator Programme fast tracks business ideas
The first group of entrepreneurs to complete a business accelerator initiative in Dundee held a showcase to pitch their ideas yesterday.
The Accelerator Programme, run by social enterprise Elevator at the new Centre for Entrepreneurship building at Dundee University, aims to fast track businesses to the next level.
The 12-week project is designed to discover aspiring business leaders, pioneer entrepreneurship and drive business growth to create global brands.
Yesterday’s showcase featured business ideas from a wide variety of sectors, including medical applications, psychology, energy, fashion and online retailing.
Dundee Accelerator manager Andy Campbell said he hoped the process would make a positive impact on the city’s economy.
He said: “Today represents the end point of a 12 week journey in which their product, their service, their value proposition and they have had them thoroughly tested and challenged.
“We provide them with exposure to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and we give them all the resources to be able to flourish. That’s what this centre is all about with.
“There has been a good cross section of industries represented the people of Dundee should be incredibly encouraged with the prospects that are coming through.
“That will hopefully have a positive impact on the economy and of course create some important, high value jobs in the area as well.”
More than £250,000 has been invested by Elevator, Dundee University and other key partners to create the new Dundee centre.
It is planning to run three programmes a year with applications currently open online for people to take part in the next course, which will run in February.
The entrepreneurs can also tap into expertise at Dundee University.
Ian McLaren-Wallace, who attended the course to refine his idea for a platform he describes as an “artificial intelligence model that unlocks human potential”.
He said: “It’s been really supportive, inspiring and challenging.
“I liked the idea that the programme was fast because most business development processes take a long while.
“This was a way of getting me focused and to a result far more quickly.
“At the start you pitch your initial business idea. Then you go through a structured process to create a business model, which is modified and refined until you have something that looks like it’s going to work.”