University of Aberdeen and entrepreneurial training firm Elevator have concluded the latest edition of their Accelerator Aberdeen program.

A total of 14 entrepreneurs have graduated from a University of Aberdeen-affiliated accelerator program called Accelerator Aberdeen run by UK-based entrepreneurial training firm Elevator, Scottish Financial News has reported.

Accelerator Aberdeen’s latest cohort took place from June 4 until July 26 and was open to students, academics and recent graduates from University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University (RGU), rural skills college SRUC and North East Scotland College (Nescol).

The initiative was designed to boost the understanding of entrepreneurs from local institutions on matters such as idea validation, market opportunity-sizing and financial modelling. They will be able to access further support from Elevator’s network of alumni and business contracts.

Businesses started by participants in Accelerator Aberdeen include Boozy Events, a mobile alcohol bar provider which is looking to expand with the launch of a smartphone app, and Keep Living, which is developing an app-operated scooter hire service for older people.

Other ideas nurtured by the program include Caso, an artificial intelligence-powered diagnostics device for genetic illnesses designed by Aberdeen MSc student Federico Caso.

Accelerator Aberdeen has already begun accepting applications for its next cohort, which is scheduled to launch in September 2018 and will focus on ideas related to ageing societies, clean growth, mobility and the prevalence of artificial intelligence and data.

Elevator operates two other accelerator programs, both in northeast Scotland, with one run in partnership with University of Dundee and the other based in Perth.

Jules Lancastle, accelerator manager at University of Aberdeen, said: “Our university-linked cohort provided people from the University of Aberdeen, RGU and Nescol the opportunity to discover their own potential and refine their business, product or idea.”