If you’re interested in becoming an executive leader of a spinout business in the North East, it’s now easier than ever to register to hear about opportunities as they arise.
If you’re already in our Executives into Business pool, you’ll have received an email about our new process. This gives you the chance to tell us a little bit about yourself and the sectors that you’re interested in working in. If you’d like to stay in the pool, please complete the short form.
If you haven’t received your email, please contact us at northern.accelerator@durham.ac.uk and we’ll get you the information you need.
Join us for a live Q&A
We’re hosting a short webinar on 27 April at 10am. You’ll have the chance to hear from our Northern Accelerator programme team, Newcastle University’s Company Creation team, and an executive leader and academic founder who’ve already benefitted from the programme. Sign up to the webinar here.
Simpler, faster process
We’ve improved our process based on feedback, and the joining process now involves a simple form as the first stage. You’ll then be notified as any opportunities arise in the sectors you’ve indicated an interest in. More detailed due-diligence checks will be carried out at the point you apply for, or are awarded, an opportunity.
More about Executives into Business
Executives into Business is our flagship initiative helping to create strong management teams for spinout businesses. It’s designed to strengthen university spinout companies by matching experienced commercial leaders with academic innovation. At its core, the programme recognises a simple truth: even ground-breaking research needs strong business leadership to succeed in the commercial world.
University spinouts often face challenges common to high‑tech start-ups. Leadership capability is one of the most critical factors for securing investment and achieving sustainable growth. The Executives into Business programme addresses this by recruiting seasoned executives with the expertise to guide emerging ventures from their earliest and most crucial stages.
The programme has grown into a nationally recognised model of best practice and its impact has been transformative. Participating universities increased their spinout creation rate from an average of fewer than two companies per year to twelve in the 2018/19 academic year, demonstrating the programme’s ability to turn research excellence into thriving commercial enterprises
Executives into Business has now supported more than 50 experienced leaders to take on roles in spinout companies across the North East, helping to launch a new generation of high‑potential ventures built on world‑class research. These executives not only bring commercial acumen but also offer vital networks in investment, sales, product development and operations. They help accelerate the journey from academic proof‑of‑concept to market‑ready innovation.
The programme’s success has attracted national attention. The model was adopted by the SETsquared Partnership, demonstrating the strength and scalability of our approach.
Creating businesses
Spinouts like Atelerix and Skin Life Analytics have credited the programme with providing the executive leadership needed to turn ideas into strong commercial propositions, guiding companies through investment rounds, product development, and early growth.
By matching entrepreneurial academics with proven business leaders, Executives into Business reduces the risks inherent in commercialisation while maximising opportunities for investment and long‑term success. It is a cornerstone of our mission to build a thriving innovation ecosystem across the North East. By supporting spinouts we’re creating high‑value jobs, attracting investment and ensuring that university research has real‑world impact.
Watch below to hear how Executives into Business has supported Gateshead-based XR Therapeutics.
