Imagine IF! 2024 is Open to Applications
What is the ImagineIF! Programme?The Manchester IMAGINE IF! Programme is a local competition and pre-accelerator program tailored for health-tech and life sciences early-stage ventures. The program aims to foster the commercial ideas of scientific and tech innovators by providing a network of support for them, which consists of mentorship programs, one-to-one workshops with professional service companies and excellent networking opportunities across the Innovation Forum’s platform.
What is the programme structure?
Mentorship:
- Each team allocated a core mentor to provide 1:1 support
- Founders have access to the local mentor pool for bookings
- Teams will be expected to prepare for the finals competition at the end of the programme
Workshops:
- Workshops will be held in-person locally where possible
- Each workshop that is run will have a different theme, e.g. grasping IP, funding advice etc.
- In-person workshops with local IF branch
Founder’s stories:
- We invite successful founders to share their no-frills stories and experiences
Imagine IF! Finals:
- Shared National final with other teams from the other UK based branches. Pitch decks & business plans to be judged by industry experts
- The chance to pitch to industry experts, VCs and angel investors
- Competition winner receives variety of prizes (including cash prize) and progression to global finals
What are the Imagine IF! Finals?
The local Imagine IF! Final represents the culmination of these support programs, where the chosen teams are able to showcase their progress and development through a live pitch delivered to our curated audience of leading North West angel investors, venture capitalists and representatives of public funding bodies. Last year, The winner on the day was determined by experienced judges, including Emma Johnson, from British patient capital, Martino Picardo, Discovery Park, and Kath Horner, from Innovate UK Edge. The event also featured keynote speeches delivered by leading figures in innovation from across the North West, including Andy Round, Praetura Ventures, and Andy Roberts, from Bruntwood Scitech.
Timeline for Imagine IF! 2024
- 4th December – Applications close
- 18th December – Announce selected start-ups
- January 2024 – Programme starts
- May 2024 – Global final
Programme scope (8-10 weeks)
- 5-8 start-ups
- 3 workshops
- Mentorship (aim for each start-up to meet with the same mentor on a minimum biweekly basis)
If you are an early start-up that is focussed on innovation within the biotech sector and interested in applying, please fill out the form in the link above with the relevant information. We look forward to hearing from you.
