BioAccelerate, AberInnovation’s investment-readiness accelerator programme for early-stage businesses and startups, is back for a fourth time and seeking ambitious innovations to join its 2022 cohort.

Launched in 2018, BioAccelerate is a programme of training and mentoring to help entrepreneurs and business founders bring the best ideas to marketing within the biosciences, agri-tech, food and drink, and circular economy sectors.

The tailored 12-week programme blends interactive workshops with group activities, pitch development and hands-on mentoring. BioAccelerate 2022’s first workshop kicks off on Wednesday 5th January 2022 and applications are now open.

The 2022 BioAccelerate programme is supported by UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, investing in people, places, businesses and communities to support the UK’s recovery following the Covid pandemic.

Participation in the programme is free of charge to successful applicants, with a total of six awards of £10,000 available in the first instance to the strongest pitches as judged by a panel of experts in business growth on the final day.

Those six finalists will then be invited onto the second phase of the programme and given further opportunities to develop their business plans and products. Culminating once again in a pitch day, this time to venture capital specialists and investors, the most promising proposition will be awarded £50,000 to help bring it to fruition.

Dr Rhian Hayward MBE, Chief Executive Officer of AberInnovation said: “We are delighted to deliver BioAccelerate again this year. With new support from the UK Community Renewal Fund through Ceredigion County Council we can now give intensive and thorough investor-readiness support once again. We are looking for startups in food and drink, all aspects of the circular economy, health and agri-tech and I look forward to applications from entrepreneurs and business founders, whether they have incorporated a business already or have not yet quite taken the plunge.”

Programme delivery and mentoring under BioAccelerate 2022 will once again be led by investment-readiness specialists Nurture Ventures.

Jeff Bartlett, Founder of Nurture Ventures, said:

“Since 2018’s inaugural BioAccelerate we’ve continued to develop the programme which now has 2 distinct phases to really embed the business knowledge and know-how which early-stage innovators need. Our focus remains one of providing practical, hands-on support via knowledge seminars, mentoring and group learning.

We’re looking forward to delivering BioAccelerate for the fourth successive year. BioAccelerate alumni include Cellular Agriculture, PlantSea, Conwy Kombucha, BioSampleHub, ARCITEKBio, Shire Meadery, Eyva Farms, Terrafix, Phytorigins, Chemostrat, GreenSeas, Amply Life, Vertikit, Multibox and Aber Food Surplus.

For the 2022 programme we’re seeking entrepreneurial innovators who aspire to make a global impact with distinctive innovations in the biosciences, food and drink and agri-tech sectors.”

On 21st October 2021, AberInnovation celebrated its official opening with a ceremony presided over by the Right Honourable Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister of Wales. The £43.5m development is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, through the Welsh Government; the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (part of UKRI); and by Aberystwyth University.