Everything you need to know to turn that idea into something big. 

Applications for Cohort VII 2022-2023 are now closed. Register to receive updates about the King's20 and the Entrepreneurship Institute.

Am I eligible? 

• The programme is open to any current student, staff member or alumnus from King’s. Each application must have a member of the founding or leadership team with one of these affiliations to the university. 

• The programme accepts companies at a range of ‘stages’ of their development. At a minimum, companies must have soundly validated the need and purpose for their product/services.  

• Participants can be part of the Accelerator part-time or full-time, however we ask that you are committed to making the most of the programme and actively contribute to our like-minded community in order to make your idea happen.  

• The programme is all about your personal learning journey and growth and therefore requires your utmost commitment and dedication - we want to have as much fun as possible along the way!  

If you require a visa to take part in the programme, we may also be able to endorse your application for a Start-Up Visa.  This is an immigration category which allows students with world-class innovative ideas or entrepreneurial skills to extend their stay in the UK after graduation, by establishing and developing one or more businesses in the UK under the supervision of their academic institution. We have a visa application window that is open at the same time as the King’s20 application (11th April – 8th May 2022), and whether you can apply is dependent on when you finish your studies: 

• If you are a King’s alumnus or have completed all your degree requirements but not yet graduated, submit applications for both King’s20 and a Start-Up Visa endorsement (deadline 8th May)

• If you are a student and will continue to be a student in the 2022-23 academic year, then you are not yet eligible to apply for a Start-Up Visa endorsement. In deciding whether you wish to apply for the King's20 this year, you should be mindful of any immigration conditions set by UKVI around being self-employed and engaging in 'business activity' whilst on a Tier 4 Student Visa.

For more information, please see our Start-up Visas page. 

What we’re looking for

• We accept applications from ventures who, at a minimum, have soundly validated the need for their innovative solutions and are clearly able to demonstrate the purpose and need amongst their core stakeholders. You might be interested in catching up on our workshops series around ‘Validation’ to strengthen your application. 

• The founding team should be able to clearly demonstrate ‘founder-market fit’ (i.e. the team’s capabilities, experience in and/or enthusiasm for the problem they’re trying to solve).  

For example, in the 2021-2022 cohort…  

• Coolzen – Surveyed 250+ menopausal women, 170+ GPs and interviewed around 40 gynaecologists to identify an unmet clinical need.   

• Hutch – Developed a landing site for sharing content which averaged 1,600 page views and 600 unique visitors per month. In addition to 348 sign-ups to their mailing list and 2,075 followers on Instagram.  .  

• The Smile App –  Ran an concierge MVP testing sample content with 125 people daily for a week, launched an Instagram page which saw 350+ followers within the first few weeks and email subscriber lists of 500+

If you haven’t already, we strongly suggest you discover and explore the problem you’re tackling, starting by speaking to potential customers and working out the demand of your product/service. Some help? Read ‘The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you’. 

Timeline

• Applications open: noon, Wednesday 13^th  April 2022 

• Applications close: 23:59, Sunday 12th June 2022

• King’s20 Selection Panel -  Monday 11th July – Friday 22^nd July 2022

• King’s20 Cohort VII Commences - 26^th September 2022 to Friday 8^th September 2023

P.S. you might be invited to a Group CRIT session w/c 1st August with potential fellow King’s20 Cohort VII ventures. This our opportunity to sense-check the dynamics of the cohort.

You’ll know if you’re joining the King’s20 Cohort VII by Friday 12^th August 2022.

If you have any questions please get in touch with Holly Knower, Head of Ventures, King’s Entrepreneurship Institute holly.knower@kcl.ac.uk  

Think you’re ready to apply…

• Please read the King’s20 Information Pack

• Join a ‘King’s20 Accelerator Information Session’ on Tuesday 26^th April or Thursday 19^th May

• Check out the FAQs we have collated

Applications for Cohort VII 2022 - 2023 have now closed. Register to receive updates about the King's20 and the Entrepreneurship Institute.