We are at a pivotal moment in how technology shapes society. The founders joining this cohort are tackling some of the most important challenges of our time. They are asking how AI and technology can support human potential, strengthen communities and create lasting value. This balance of innovation, impact and commercial ambition reflects King’s College London’s ethos and the Entrepreneurship Institute’s track record of accelerating commercially successful ventures.
Andrea Olsson, Accelerator Lead, King's Entrepreneurship Institute
18 June 2026
Meet the Start-Ups: Introducing King's Start-Up Accelerator Cohort X
17 ventures join Cohort X of the King's Start-up Accelerator, beginning a transformative 12-month programme to launch their ideas and scale their impact.
Spanning Applied AI, Decision Intelligence, Human Potential Technology, Intelligent Operations and Digital Service Platforms, the new cohort is improving health and wellbeing, expanding access for underserved communities, helping people make better decisions and strengthening real-world human connection. All united by a single question: how can technology help people thrive, not just move faster?
What is the King’s Start-Up Accelerator?
Now in its tenth edition, the King's Start-up Accelerator is the Entrepreneurship Institute's (EI) flagship programme, designed to back the boldest entrepreneurial talent from across King's College London. It operates on two interconnected levels: building ventures positioned for growth, and developing founders equipped to deliver it.
Over the next 12 months, founders will sharpen their commercial strategy, accelerate market traction and strengthen investor readiness, while also developing the mindset and leadership capabilities needed to navigate uncertainty. Practical workshops, expert mentoring, one-to-one coaching and peer learning sit alongside dedicated desk space, curated investor introductions and access to a growing alumni community.
A programme that treats you like a real founder, not a student with a business idea. The mentors are direct, the network is serious, and the support is practical — from fundraising to branding to getting your first customers. It won't build your company for you, but it will make sure you stop wasting time on the wrong things.
Guido Filippetti, Co-Founder of MOMI AI, King’s alumnus (MSc Strategic Entrepreneurship & Innovation, King's Business School)
Welcoming a diverse tenth cohort
Of the 17 ventures joining Cohort X, 47% are led by current King’s students. This is our highest proportion of students to-date, and a testament to King’s commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across the university to maximise its positive impact on society.
Six faculties are represented across the cohort, with the largest share coming from King's Business School and the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences. For the first time, founders part of the Executive MBA are joining the programme.
53% of the selected ventures are women-led, which mirrors the gender diversity in applications received this year. That percentage reflects the commitment of the EI's Women Entrepreneurs Network to support gender parity, when only 20% of UK companies are women-led according to the Rose review.
Cohort X is deeply rooted in the EI ecosystem, with 75% of founders having previously taken part in initiatives such as Enterprise Award, and five of the ten finalists of the 2026 Idea Factory now joining the Accelerator.
The significant impact of the King’s Start-up Accelerator
One of the defining strengths of the accelerator is its ability to help founders translate innovation into commercially viable ventures. During the year, founders gain the clarity and momentum to strengthen their positioning, accelerate customer adoption and build sustainable pathways to growth.
Cohort IX confirmed the programme’s impact:
- 60% secured paying customers or meaningful revenue growth
- 40%+ committed to their ventures full-time
- Founders consistently point to sharper commercial strategy, stronger market positioning and greater investor readiness as the outcomes that matter most
Perhaps most tellingly, founders describe the accelerator not just as a business-building programme, but as a catalyst for personal change that leads to clearer decision-making and greater confidence in their ability to lead.
King's Start-Up Accelerator is a supportive but stretching programme for founders who want to move from an idea or early venture into something more focused, credible, and execution-ready. It also pushes you to sharpen your thinking around the problem, customer, business model, and fundraising story. For research-led ventures like LockEyeGaze, that has been particularly helpful because building a company requires a different mindset from building strong technology alone.
Shijing He, Co-founder of LockEyeGaze, King’s alumnus (PhD in Computer Science, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences)
2016-2026: A decade of impact
The Accelerator has a proven history of supporting ventures to scale. Since 2016, over 210 ventures have progressed through the programme, collectively generating £180,151,465 in revenue and securing £140,984,713 in investment, demonstrating strong commercial traction and investor confidence.
These ventures have also attracted £15,050,280 in grant funding, supporting further innovation, research translation and early-stage growth, while creating 1,560 jobs, contributing to employment and skills development.
Notably, ventures emerging from the programme show strong longevity, with survival rates approximately twice the national average, a reflection of the value of the sustained support offered by the Accelerator.
We are delighted to launch the 10th cohort of the King's Start-up Accelerator, a significant milestone that reflects the programme's growing impact across King's community. Having supported more than 210 companies to date, it is exciting to welcome 17 new ventures whose potential stood out through a highly competitive process and support them as they turn bold ideas into ventures that matter.
Holly Knower, Head of Ventures & Acceleration, King's Entrepreneurship Institute
Meet the ventures joining Cohort X
Ace Auditor
An AI quality manager that spots compliance gaps before regulators do, so pharmaceutical labs are always audit-ready.
Lead entrepreneur: Sharen Arora (King's Alumna, BSc Business Management, King’s Business School)
AI Study Studio
The first platform to give every student access to an affordable, exam-aligned AI tutor that delivers full one-hour lessons, practice, and feedback, replacing fragmented study tools and expanding access to high-quality education regardless of financial background.
Lead entrepreneur: Sheraz Khan (King's Student, BSc Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences)
CareSync
A care coordination app for parents of disabled young adults and their care teams.
Lead entrepreneur: Reagan Kastner (King's Student, MSc Management and Tech Change, King's Business School)
Commfy
A three-sided marketplace for people, organizers and venues to make community-building accessible, sustainable and rewarding.
Lead entrepreneur: Ramit Mehta (King's Alumnus, MSc Public Policy and Management, King's Business School)
Dantés Labs
Affordable custom generative AI solutions for privacy conscious small businesses.
Lead entrepreneur: William Droin (King's Alumnus, MSc Robotics, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences)
Everyday Analysis
A publishing house and IRL community offering thinking tools for mental health practicioners.
Lead entrepreneur: Dr Alfie Bown (King’s Staff, Arts & Humanities)
First Rate Tutors
Developing the UK's first AI-based University Scholarship Tracker which will offer low-income, ambitious students immediate access to university scholarships across the UK that they would otherwise not have been able to access.
Lead entrepreneur: Barbara Njau (King's Alumna, MSc International Management, King's Business School)
Five to Nine
A Netherlands-based marketplace that lets users discover, compare, and book creative classes, while helping local studios and independent instructors increase revenue by enhancing visibility and reducing empty seats.
Lead entrepreneur: Eva Kyvrikosaiou (King's Alumna, MSc Marketing, King's Business School)
Floreo
An app-based holistic, evidence-based health support and training programmes for women who run.
Lead entrepreneur: Emma Ingham (King's Student, BSc Physiotherapy, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine)
Kinaptic
An adaptive learning platform for neurodivergent children aged 4–11, using gamified and personalised pathways to surface learning patterns and generate actionable insights for parents and educators.
Lead entrepreneur: Adam Preis (King's Student, Executive MBA, King's Business School)
NERV Systems
A platform that turns information overload into life-saving outcomes by compressing hours of tactical mission planning into minutes using an AI agent built for the TAK ecosystem used by military, law enforcement, and rescue teams.
Lead entrepreneur: Peter Finn (King's Student, PhD in War Studies, Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy)
NEURO-INFORMED CAREER GUIDANCE PLATFORM
A neuro-informed decision platform that helps teenagers make smarter education and career decisions, turning guidance into strategy, and connecting it to real-world opportunities.
Lead entrepreneur: Stella Simonian (King's Student, Executive MBA, King's Business School)
Reverie
A platform helping restaurants understand how customers experience their delivery orders through independent audits and AI-powered analysis, uncovering the drivers of churn and low ratings.
Lead entrepreneur: Joao Franceli (King's Alumnus, BSc Business Management, King's Business School)
SENSO
The operating system for automated hospitality, enabling cafés and retail spaces to run with minimal staff while maintaining speed, consistency and profitability.
Lead entrepreneur: Joseph Lee (King's Alumnus, BA Politics, Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy)
Sonar
Platform helping crypto traders make profitable trades by supplying reliable, transparent & AI-driven data on the crypto market.
Lead entrepreneur: Eduardo Sanchez Morales (King's Student, BSc Computer Science with Management, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences)
The Almanac Project
Transforms scattered mental-health research into trusted, decision-ready evidence that powers safer, personalised care across systems.
Lead entrepreneur: Ralitsa Markova (King's Student, MSc Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience)
Zucchini
An AI-powered platform turning weekly meals into a smart, automated plan, helping busy professionals cook consistently without wasting food or mental energy.
Lead entrepreneur: Rafat Yaghi (King's Alumnus, MSc Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences)
If you are an investor, with an active interest in early-stage start-ups or in meeting our ventures, please contact our Investor Relations Manager, Dr Yotam Levy, or sign-up to our investor newsletter.
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