Northern Accelerator welcomed leading investors, founders and regional partners to a successful pitch and dinner at Blackfriars, Newcastle on 3 June 2026.
The event brought together over 30 attendees, including angel investors, venture capital firms, spinout teams and key stakeholders from across the North East innovation ecosystem, to showcase emerging investment opportunities from the Northern Accelerator pipeline.
Showcasing high-potential spinouts
The afternoon centred on a pitch session featuring four innovative spinout opportunities, demonstrating the strength and diversity of research commercialisation across the North East’s universities.
Attendees represented a range of sectors including digital technologies, agriculture tech, clean tech and deep tech.
These pitches highlighted the continued growth of the Northern Accelerator pipeline, supported by a strong regional ecosystem and increasing investor interest.
Creating meaningful investor connections
The event successfully delivered on its core aim – creating meaningful conversations between investors and founders. Following the pitching session, networking drinks and a private dinner provided space for deeper discussions.
Founders left the event with new investor contacts and clear follow-up opportunities, reinforcing the value of in-person engagement in early-stage investment.
Strengthening the North East innovation ecosystem
The event also provided an opportunity to showcase the impact of the North East Spinout Inspire Fund, a £22.5m fund managed by Northstar Ventures and supported by the region’s universities and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
With a growing pipeline and recent investments across CleanTech, Life Sciences and HealthTech, the fund is helping to address early-stage funding challenges and accelerate the development of high-potential businesses.
Supporting the next generation of founders
Northern Accelerator continues to play a critical role in supporting university spinouts. Its initiatives ensure that founders are equipped not only to launch businesses, but to scale them successfully.
Karl Murray, Northern Accelerator’s Access to Finance specialist, said: “Events such as the pitch and dinner are key in our pursuit to close the funding gap our university spinouts face. It highlighted the importance of creating environments for investors and founders to connect. I’m very proud to have hosted the first of many events that aim to bridge the gap between our spinouts and the national investment community”
Looking ahead
Events like the Pitch & Dinner are a key part of Northern Accelerator’s mission to connect innovation with investment, strengthen regional collaboration and drive economic growth.
With strong engagement from both investors and founders, the evening demonstrated the continued momentum of the North East’s spinout ecosystem.
