“DCI aims to nurture, challenge and develop ambitious, innovative entrepreneurs to help them build a scalable, investible business to create wealth and prosperity in County Durham.”
Leon Howe, DCI Incubation Manager
What do I get?
A £2,500 Start-up Grant
Receive up to £2,500 to invest in your business or get your start-up off the ground.
Expert Mentoring
Your individual mentor will help you turn your ideas and ambitions into reality every step of the way.
Office Space
Take advantage of the shared workspace at Salvus House, Durham at a significantly reduced rate.
Get in front of investors
Exclusive opportunities to connect with investors and funders for the chance to raise finance for future growth.
Learn from the best
Get access to private workshops by some of the North East’s leading experts in marketing, finance, legal, business growth, and much more.
Collaborate with like-minded entrepreneurs
Join a cohort of business owners and entrepreneurs you can connect with, learn from, and collaborate with.
What is Durham City Incubator?
Durham City Incubator (DCI) is an accelerator programme for entrepreneurs and growing businesses in County Durham.
If you have a County Durham-based business that’s been trading less than twelve months or you’re looking to launch an ambitious, potential high-growth start-up, you can join Durham City Incubator (DCI) – a six-month fully funded accelerator programme.
DCI supports any ambitious entrepreneurs in Durham with the vision to start and scale up their business. We particularly encourage student and graduate talent from Durham University and New College Durham to apply.
Applications are now open for DCI and Fintech/Digitech Accelerator starting in September 2024.
DCI are looking for “high growth potential” start-ups, in addition, we are running a Fintech/Digitech accelerator at the same time, specifically for start-ups in County Durham who have are establishing a Fintech or DigiTech business.
The programmes will run parallel whereby Fintech and Digitech start-ups will access the DCI support including workshops and support but will also gain access to experts from Fintech/DigiTech sectors and sector-specific workshops, meet-ups and networks.
Please make clear in application form if interested in DCI programme (not sector specific) or Fintech/DigiTech accelerator (sector specific). All applicants will be contacted by telephone for a brief interview following application closing date.
Selected applicants will be shortlisted to Pitch Event for DCI and Fintech/Digitech accelerators and then Cohorts selected for each programme.
DCI and Fintech/DigiTech Accelerators are part of UK Shared Prosperity Funded project, Enterprising Durham.