Startup Accelerator welcomes North-East and Island entrepreneurs to 2026 cohort

Now in its eighth year, the Accelerator has become a cornerstone of the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting more than 250 new ventures and contributing over £17 million in economic impact since launch.

For the first time, this year’s cohort includes 13 startups from Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles through the Islands Entrepreneurial Network, an RGU-led initiative funded by the Government’s Islands Growth Deal to boost local economies and empower island communities.

They join RGU students, staff and recent alumni in a diverse group representing sectors such as energy, data and AI, health and wellbeing, creative industries and ethical retail. United by a strong commitment to social impact, sustainability and the responsible use of local resources. The full list of startups is available here.

RGU will serve as Impact North’s anchor, connecting parallel island cohorts through shared expertise, sector insights and collaborative problem‑solving.

Participants earned their places through strong performance in a competitive bootcamp and now have access to:

• High-quality entrepreneurship education
• £3,000 in equity-free seed funding
• Tailored mentorship support for research commercialisation
• Access to a vibrant academic and business support ecosystem across the three islands and Aberdeen, including backing from partners such as Barclays Eagle Labs

Founders will showcase their ventures at the Startup Showcase on 4 June 2026 at RGU, competing for cash prizes, including the £5,000 Felix Chung Sustainability Prize and the Mentor/Judges Prize, recognising outstanding innovation and entrepreneurial promise.

Aisha Kasim, Startup Manager and RGU Accelerator Lead, said: “Funding from the Scottish Funding Council’s Knowledge Exchange & Innovation Fund, alongside TalentEd support through the Islands Growth Deal, has enabled us to evolve this year’s Accelerator into a more innovative entrepreneurial programme, strengthening collaboration with Scotland’s three island groups and our focus on research commercialisation.

“Parallel cohorts in Aberdeen and the islands will be linked by research themes and industry sectors, allowing startups, such as Agri-tech ventures, to collaborate across regions and accelerate development. We are excited to see more from this pioneering economic development island-hopping programme!”

Dr Jo-Anne Tait, Co-Founder of Space for Sound and Principal Lecturer for Digital Living and Design at RGU’s School of Computing, Engineering and Technology, added: “We had a great first session online meeting the other participants and getting stuck into the first challenges. I can already see how we can work with startups in the islands and here in Aberdeen, we've lots in common, so this is going to be great fun. I'm looking forward to meeting our mentor and really taking Space for Sound to the next level!”

Impact North is delivered by RGU’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Group (EIG) and the Islands Entrepreneurial Network team, both part of RGU’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise department. The initiative is supported by funding from the Scottish Funding Council’s Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Fund.