A group of students sitting at a table in the University's business incubator

Applications now open for places on Loughborough’s graduate startup programme

Applications are now open for places on Loughborough University’s graduate startup accelerator programme, which supports final year students and graduates to launch or develop their businesses.

Jacob Strauss holding a laptop displaying Gumbo's recipe search engine

Jacob Strauss, founder of Gumbo

Graduates can benefit from: 

  • Fully serviced founder-focused workspace in the University’s business incubator, LUinc. 
  • One-to-one business performance coaching 
  • Intensive training and masterclasses delivered by entrepreneurs and industry experts 
  • Networking opportunities, including access to angel investors and regional innovation leaders 
  • Opportunity to apply for up to £7,500 in startup funds. 

The support is free – no fees, no equity, no charges - and applications can be made online.  

The accelerator is hosted within LUinc., the University’s business incubator at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park.  

LUinc. forms the ‘Scale-Up’ stage of the Loughborough Enterprise Network (LEN), which brings together a powerful support network across the University and beyond to help students, graduates and staff to develop enterprise and entrepreneurial skills and to start, scale and grow new businesses.     

Jacob Strauss founded his AI-powered recipe search engine, Gumbo, with support from the accelerator after completing his PhD in Educational Software Development at Loughborough. 

With a mission to assist home cooks in reducing household food waste while saving money on their weekly grocery bills, Gumbo saves home cooks time by guiding them to discover recipes that utilise the ingredients they already have at home.  

The business has already attracted over 700,000 website visitors and was recently awarded funding from Innovate UK’s Creative Growth programme.  

Jacob said: “The graduate startup accelerator has played a massive role in the growth of my company through several avenues. From the networking spaces to the workshops and events, the range of opportunities provided has been a cornerstone for growth. 

Alongside the grant they provided, the accelerator played a critical role in bridging connections with investors, helping us achieve our raise targets. The staff and other LUinc. members are supportive, and being part of this community is a deeply enriching experience.” 

For more information about the graduate start-up accelerator and to apply online, please visit the programme website. 

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Enterprise