Essential Information

To get started, applicants complete a short online form to confirm they meet the eligibility criteria. Those who qualify will be invited to submit a more detailed application.

The full application takes approximately 60–90 minutes to complete, but you can save your progress and return to it later.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to pitch their ideas to a selection panel in (insert date) and may also be asked to attend a follow-up interview. 

Final decisions will be announced by the end of (insert date). 

To apply for the programme, you or your team must meet the following requirements:

Team Size

• Solo founder or founding team
• Teams of fewer than 5 people

Background

• You must be a postgraduate student (including MSc and PhD), early career researcher, academic, or a recent graduate (within the past two years).
• Your focus should be on transforming deep tech or data-driven research into a viable business.

Funding Raised

• No prior funding is required.
• However, you must not have raised more than £100,000 to remain eligible.

Stage of Development

Your project should be at one of the following stages:

• Proof of concept or proof of value
• Minimum viable product (MVP)
• First commercial success
• Early revenue growth

We welcome applications from teams and individual founders from any Scottish university and so you do not have to be associated with the University of Edinburgh to apply. 

No sector specific focus. We are delighted that our partnership with Cancer Research Horizons has been renewed and we will be able to support up to 10 cancer-related startups. Cancer-related applications are welcomed from across the UK.

Yes, we welcome applications as long as the business idea has data at the centre of it.

Venture Builder Incubator runs over five months, from late October to March, with a break in December. It’s designed to be flexible and fit alongside your academic commitments, requiring around 12 hours of commitment per month.

Through a mix of interactive online workshops and in-person events, you'll learn to navigate the startup world with confidence. 

• Online workshops: Take place twice a week via Zoom - every Tuesday and Thursday from 16:00 to 17:30 - totaling 3 hours per week.
• In Person Events: The programme hosts 3 in person event for participants including a welcome day, a team day and our cumulative programme showcase. 

See the top of this page for further information about key dates. 

Venture Builder Incubator is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered for Scottish Universities in partnership with Techscaler and the University of Edinburgh.