TechSPARK START Programme

TechSPARK / UWE Bristol / SETsquared Bath

Stage

Idea / pre-product

Location

South West

Equity

No equity taken

Cost

Free

Delivery

In-person

Any sector

Idea / pre-product

Free pre-accelerator for very early-stage tech founders in the West of England (Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath & North East Somerset). Run multiple times per year. Provides 28 hours of structured training, workshops and mentoring (worth £1,400) covering business fundamentals, validation and early growth — plus access to investor introductions and, for top performers, a funded place in a local SETsquared or techSPARK incubation programme. Funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, Barclays Eagle Labs and four regional universities. Actively targets underrepresented founders including women, disabled people and those from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Why this programme

Find customers / partnerships

Investor pitch event and peer network connecting early-stage founders with South West business community

Build product / validate MVP

28 hours of structured workshops specifically designed to take founders from idea to validated concept and early business foundations

Access to mentors / operators

Mentoring from Bristol/Bath startup ecosystem practitioners; direct links to SETsquared and Engine Shed mentor networks

Community / workspace / ecosystem

Pathway into the Bristol & Bath tech cluster — one of the UK's most productive outside London — with peer cohort and four university partner networks

Raise funding

Top performers earn a fully funded place in SETsquared or techSPARK incubation programme with investor introductions

Interested in TechSPARK START Programme?

Head to their website for current cohort dates and how to apply.

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