Black Founders Programme
The Black Founders Programme is an accelerator targeted at pre-seed or seed stage, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services...
In partnership with Sony Music UK and Sony Music Publishing UK, Digital Catapult has selected ten startups from across the UK’s creative industries to drive the application of deep tech and break down barriers to success for underrepresented founders. With research showing that only 0.2% of overall investment funding in the UK goes to Black founded companies, Digital Catapult’s Black Founders Programme was created in 2023 to support deep tech startups on their scaling journey, and to tackle systemic barriers in the UK tech sector including bias in investment decisions and limited access to networks.
Now in its second year, this initiative supports Black entrepreneurs to increase their investment readiness by providing mentorship and investment knowledge to help scale and commercialise deep tech solutions. Companies in the 2023 cohort have since formed partnerships with large corporates, received interest from angel investors and 80% reported that they had increased their investment readiness as a direct result of working with Digital Catapult and Sony Music Group.
The ten companies comprising the 2024 cohort are building novel solutions in a key growth sector, focused on applying immersive technologies (including virtual, augmented and mixed reality) into creative industries, including storytelling, gaming, music production, and education. From increasing engagement with rap music through immersive storytelling, creating engaging versions of historical events, exploring virtual clothing design for multiplayer online gaming worlds, and more The cohort companies are:
- Code and Culture – transforming how audiences engage with rap lyrics and cultural content.
- Cambridge XR – developing a VR system to explore aviation history.
- Mismatch Studios – creating digital clothing for virtual worlds and offering a sustainable solution for fashion designers to prototype designs.
- Immersely – enhancing gameplay experiences by using biometrics to refine game design.
- SymphoMe – making music learning more interactive and personalised with AI-driven multimodal technology.
- Syncd:in Limited – simplifying global music rights and metadata management for Black artists.
- TwoShot LTD – building a platform for AI tools helping musicians in their creative workflow; Importantly, their tech is fully traceable, solving AI music’s complex copyright issues.
- BeGenio Tech Ltd – enhancing educational outcomes through immersive gaming assessments.
- Certi.fi World – combining blockchain technology and augmented reality to verify and issue credentials, ensuring tamper-proof certification for artists and entertainers.
- Wellvrse – integrating health, art, and virtual reality to enhance mental well-being.
The programme is endorsed by Colorintech and Musiio by Soundcloud, as well as leading professionals across the UK’s creative industries.
