Applications open for the White City Innovators' Programme

George Winfield, an Imperial alumnus and founder of Spyras

The Imperial White City Incubator has launched the latest session of its successful White City Innovators’ Programme.

The White City Innovators’ Programme, run in association with NatWest, gives entrepreneurs and early-stage start-up companies free access to work space and workshops designed to help them grow and develop.

The programme is open to Imperial post-graduate students, researchers, staff and alumni, as well as local entrepreneurs and companies based in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

"A great opportunity": About the programme

Participants will take part in a five-week programme covering the basics of running a business, customer validation, marketing, sales, raising funding and business growth.

Interacting with industry experts throughout a series of workshops and mentoring sessions, teams will develop and refine their business plans before taking part in a final pitch event in front of a panel of investors and technology experts. Workshops and mentoring sessions will take place in afternoon and early-evening timeslots so that participating teams can take part alongside other commitments.

Now in its fourth iteration, the White City Innovators’ Programme has supported a wide range of early-stage businesses across a broad range of industries, from an advanced media advertising platform to gene editing technology to predictively evolve plants to create new varieties. 

George Winfield (pictured above), an Imperial alumnus and founder of Spyras, a startup developing a paper-based breathing monitoring system that can detect patient deterioration from sepsis, won the last round of the programme in May 2018. Since then, Spyras has undergone strong development and recently won the Tech category in the Mayor’s Entrepreneur Competition.

Graham Hewson, Head of Incubation, Enterprise, Imperial College London, said:

“The White City Innovators’ Programme is a great opportunity for early-stage startups, or new entrepreneurs, to interact with industry experts and test their business ideas in real world conditions. Since we launched the programme in 2017, we’ve supported 25 teams, and I look forward to welcoming an exciting new cohort this May.”

Apply for the programme

Applications are now open until midday, Wednesday 1 May 2019. For full entry criteria, more information about the programme and to apply, please visit the White City Innovators’ Programme application page.