Business Sheffield is running another series of its successful TechForge Workshops, starting in September 2024. The workshops are designed to support the needs of technology-centred startups and cover different stages of the founder journey including monetisation, creating your MVP and raising funds. Startup and Micro Company Members may benefit from some or all of these sessions, as well as Individual Members who are embarking on, or considering, an entrepreneurial venture. Here’s a quick Q&A with Morgan Killick and Chris Wheater, Tech Scale-Up Advisors from Business Sheffield, to give you the low-down.

Who are the TechForge Accelerator workshops designed for?

These workshop sessions are designed to support the needs of technology-centred startups, especially those involving software.

At what point in their journey should a founder access the TechForge Accelerator workshops?

The TechForge Accelerator is best suited to founders who are at an early stage – for example you might just have an idea, be working on a prototype (or MVP), or have done some initial trading.

Who delivers the workshops and what kind of expertise and experience do they bring?

The workshops are led by us – Chris Wheater and Morgan Killick – we are highly experienced Tech Scale-Up Advisors – both founders who have scaled and exited tech businesses. Between us, we have nearly 50 years’ experience of working in the tech industries, and in our current roles we focus on being a ‘critical friend’ to founders who want to progress their business.

Do you have to attend all five workshops, or can you just attend the one/s that are most relevant to where you are in your journey?

You do not have to attend every workshop within the series. You can book into one or more workshops, depending on your needs and the stage of your business. You can read about the different sessions and what will be covered in each on our Eventbrite page.

What kind of time commitment should founders expect to make, in preparing for and attending the workshops, and any follow up work?

There is no prep required. The workshops last just over two hours, with the chance to network at the end. Founders will be taking away knowledge and potentially can further develop their business based on what they learn in the sessions.

You’ve hosted these workshops before. What impact have they had on founders who have attended?

Many have gone on to commit to their business full time, commission an MVP or even fully launch their startup. Many founders have gone on to obtain grants, investment, incubation space or join other accelerators. Additionally, several are now receiving regular one-to-one mentoring from one of the session leaders.  

Can you access the workshops if you’re already involved in another incubation or accelerator programme, such as the Cooper Project?

Yes!

Find out more and book on to one or more of the TechForge Accelerator workshops, here.