The university has launched its accelerator through the King's Entrepreneurship Institute, which will support 20 startups over the next 12 months.
King’s College London has selected the first cohort for its accelerator program, which is operated by the institution’s King’s Entrepreneurship Institute at a new building in Aldwych, London.
The accelerator will mentor startups over the course of 12 months, providing expertise from leading entrepreneurs, revenue generating support, access to potential investors and office space worth a total of £30,000 ($36,000).
The cohort consists of companies from a wide range of sectors, including fintech, medical technology, hardware, data management, education, logistics and distribution, tourism as well as media and consumer goods.
Among the selected startups are Cancer Calculator, an app aimed at helping GPs to diagnose cancer, Moovr, a social enterprise company that allows farmers in developing nations to book truck rides to move produce to local markets, and Cycl, which produces LED bicycle direction indicators.
The accelerator has also partnered Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, the higher education provider for personnel in the British Armed Forces and civil service.
Differentiating itself from similar endeavours, King’s program will specifically consider the socio-economic contributions that the startups are making to job and wealth creation and impact.
Edward Byrne, president and principal of King’s College London, said: “King’s College London has a long history of entrepreneurship, from the discovery of the structure of DNA, to research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar, and we continue to find, develop and support that entrepreneurial spirit today.
“The startups we have chosen reflect the fantastic diversity and talent that make the entrepreneurial ecosystem at King’s so successful.
“We are looking forward to working with the first cohort of ventures and know that they will go on to have a big impact on the global entrepreneurship scene, create jobs and wealth, and contribute to solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.”
