Leicester Startups

04/08/2026

⚡️ NEWS ⚡️

A new “independent industry voice for the East Midlands tech sector” has been launched.

TechEM aims to connect the region’s tech community bringing together founders, local networks and scaling businesses.

Founder Martin Sandhu said:

“We have never lacked talent or grit in this region. What we have lacked is an independent voice to back those people up and make sure that they get noticed nationally.”

More here:

A new “independent industry voice for the East Midlands tech sector” has been launched. TechEM aims to connect the region’s tech community bringing together founders, local networks and scaling businesses. Founder, Nottingham based Martin Sandhu, said he created TechEM to connect the people bu...

03/08/2026

⚡ 4 weeks left to apply for our 9th Accelerator cohort ⚡

A question we get asked a lot: "Is this for me?"

❌ Well... this programme isn't for everyone, no. Freelancers, agencies and lifestyle business founders are great, but this won't be the right fit for them.

✅ This is for startup entrepreneurs with a working MVP (ideally with real users) who are serious about scaling - and who can commit to showing up, every week, warts and all.

In return, you get:

⚡️ Experienced hands-on mentors

⚡️ A room full of founders facing the same problems as you

⚡️ A structured path guiding you through everything from product-market-fit to pitching, ending in a Demo Day in front of real investors

Now, could this be for you or someone you know?

👉 Apply before 3rd September:

https://www.leicesterstartups.com/accelerator/

02/08/2026

July was a big month for the Leicester Startups community. From a $1m funding milestone to the launch of our brand new accelerator! Here's what our founders have been up to this month ⬇️

🚀 Loughborough graduate's startup crosses $1m in funding
https://lnkd.in/ebdcKpAF

🚀 Dementia Care Startup Trunk2Tale Closes After Four and a Half Years
https://lnkd.in/eeq7DDsE

🚀 First orders of affordable camera kit for first-time space missions
https://lnkd.in/dTuQVCFJ

🚀 Leicester founder "humbled" by nomination for Dyslexia Awards for Innovation
https://lnkd.in/e_9MFZ-H

🚀 VACANCY: Leicester mobile app development firm seeking an Application Security Engineer
https://lnkd.in/eDC__zv9

🚀 Loughborough founder's Freeater shortlisted for SeedLegals Startup Awards
https://lnkd.in/eMGnEF6K

🚀 Leicester AI Sales Assistant platform receives major updates
https://lnkd.in/djH_ffiM

🚀 Applications open for Leicester Startups' ninth accelerator cohort
https://lnkd.in/ex4KNYxz

🚀 Meet the Member: Jonathan O'Brien, founder of Obrioxia
https://lnkd.in/e7UZ6b7w

Got a news startup news story? Email [email protected] and have it seen by thousands in the community 🤗

01/08/2026

👋 Have you met one of our latest Leicester Startups Incubator members Jonathan OBrien?

Well he's the founder of Obrioxia - a sort of blackbox for AI, capturing exactly why a system made the call it did.

He told us about the Devon holiday where the idea first clicked, why fintech and insurance are his first targets, and what he needs from the community next.

Read the full Meet the Member piece:

It’s time for a Meet the Member piece and this time it’s one of our Incubator members! Meet Jonathan O’Brien the founder of Obrioxia. You’ll often see Jonathan around at Canopy, happy to chat to other members about all the latest developments in AI – in fact he recently hosted a talk all a...

31/07/2026

‼️ Event Just Added ‼️

Join us as on Tues 11th August as Denis Oakley FRSA shares insights from his extensive experience mentoring over a thousand startup founders!

🚀 1,000+ startups 🎤 Countless pitches ⏎ Endless pivots.

Denis will share the raw, unfiltered lessons from the front lines of entrepreneurship. If you want to bypass years of trial and error and learn the real-world mechanics of startup success, this is the session you can't afford to miss.

Join us:

🗓️ 11th Aug
⏰ 12.30pm
📍 Leicester Startups Incubator, Canopy
🎟️ FREE TO ATTEND> https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-ive-learnt-from-mentoring-1000-startups-tickets-1993918639325?aff=oddtdtcreator

29/07/2026

We have opened applications for our 9th Accelerator cohort, running from 17 September to 11 December 2026 ⚡

The 12-week programme offers founders a structured mix of workshops, roundtables, mentoring and free co-working space at Canopy, alongside full access to the FundingHero platform.

Topics covered include customer development, revenue modelling, product market fit, lead generation, fundraising and pitching, building towards a Demo Day in front of investors and experienced entrepreneurs.

Read more here:

Leicester Startups has opened applications for its ninth accelerator cohort, running from 17 September to 11 December 2026. The 12-week programme offers founders a structured mix of workshops, roundtables, mentoring and free co-working space at Canopy, alongside full access to the Funding Hero platf...

26/07/2026

👋 Meet Jonathan OBrien the founder of Obrioxia

Jonathan is one of our Incubator members and you'll often him around Canopy chatting to other members about all the latest developments in AI - in fact he recently hosted a talk all about helping entrepreneurs set up AI Agents!

Right, let’s learn more about him and his startup….

24/07/2026

‼️ Event Just Added ‼️

Join us as Denis Oakley FRSA shares insights from his extensive experience mentoring over a thousand startup founders!

🚀 1,000+ startups 🎤 Countless pitches ⏎ Endless pivots.

Denis will share the raw, unfiltered lessons from the front lines of entrepreneurship. If you want to bypass years of trial and error and learn the real-world mechanics of startup success, this is the session you can't afford to miss.

Join us:

🗓️ 11th Aug
⏰ 12.30pm
📍 Leicester Startups Incubator, Canopy
🎟️ FREE TO ATTEND> https://lessonsfrom1000startups.eventbrite.co.uk/

23/07/2026

🗞️ NEWS 🗞️

Loughborough founder Kate Alderson’s food allergy app Freeater has been shortlisted for the Captivating Mission category at the SeedLegals Startup Awards 2026.

More here:

22/07/2026

⚡️ Applications are open for the 9th Leicester Startups Accelerator ⚡️

If you're building something ambitious and scalable, this is 12-weeks designed to get you investor-ready, grow sales faster and learn what your customers really need 🚀

What you get:

✅ In-person weekly workshops covering everything from customer development and pricing to fundraising and pitching

✅ Roundtables every Friday with fellow founders, working through real problems together

✅ Free co-working space at our Incubator space at Canopy for the full 12 weeks

✅ Full access to the FundingHero platform

✅ A Demo Day in front of experienced investors and entrepreneurs

We started this programme in 2021 and since then we've seen founders across the startup spectrum - with several have gone on to raise investment!

To apply, you'll need a working prototype (ideally with active users), be based in the East Midlands, and be ready to commit 4 hours a week for 12 weeks.

🗓️ Runs 17th September – 11th December
⛔️ Applications close 3rd September
👉 Apply here: https://www.leicesterstartups.com/accelerator/

Questions?

Email [email protected] or drop Sam Larke a message

Massive thanks to our sponsors The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity and Naked Accounting 🤗

Here's a few pics from our last Accelerator Demo Day 📸