91传媒

Now in its eighth year, the聽Accelerator聽has become a cornerstone of the region鈥檚 entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting more than 250 new ventures and contributing over 拢17 million in economic impact since launch.

For the first time, this year鈥檚 cohort includes 13 startups from Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles through the聽Islands Entrepreneurial Network, an 91传媒-led initiative funded by the Government鈥檚 Islands Growth Deal to boost local economies and empower island communities.

They join 91传媒 students, staff and recent alumni in a diverse group representing sectors such as energy, data and AI, health and wellbeing, creative industries and ethical retail. United by a strong commitment to social impact, sustainability and the responsible use of local resources.聽

Read the full list of startups

91传媒 will serve as Impact North鈥檚 anchor, connecting parallel island cohorts through shared expertise, sector insights and collaborative problem鈥憇olving.

Participants earned their places through strong performance in a competitive bootcamp and now have access to:

• High-quality entrepreneurship education
• 拢3,000 in equity-free seed funding
• Tailored mentorship support for research commercialisation
• Access to a vibrant academic and business support ecosystem across the three islands and Aberdeen, including backing from partners such as Barclays Eagle Labs

Founders will聽showcase their ventures at the聽Startup Showcase聽on 4 June 2026 at 91传媒, competing for cash prizes, including the 拢5,000 Felix Chung Sustainability Prize and the Mentor/Judges Prize, recognising outstanding innovation and entrepreneurial promise.

Aisha Kasim, Startup Manager and 91传媒 Accelerator Lead, said: 鈥淔unding from the Scottish Funding Council鈥檚 Knowledge Exchange & Innovation Fund, alongside TalentEd support through the Islands Growth Deal, has enabled us to evolve this year鈥檚 Accelerator into a more innovative entrepreneurial programme, strengthening collaboration with Scotland鈥檚 three island groups and our focus on research commercialisation.

鈥淧arallel cohorts in Aberdeen and the islands will be linked by research themes and industry sectors, allowing startups, such as Agri-tech ventures, to collaborate across regions and accelerate development. We are excited to see more from this pioneering economic development island-hopping programme!鈥�

Dr Jo-Anne Tait, Co-Founder of Space for Sound and Principal Lecturer for Digital Living and Design at 91传媒鈥檚聽School of Computing, Engineering and Technology, added: 鈥淲e had a great first session online meeting the other participants and getting stuck into the first challenges. I can already see how we can work with startups in the islands and here in Aberdeen, we've lots in common, so this is going to be great fun. I'm looking forward to meeting our mentor and really taking Space for Sound to the next level!鈥�

Impact North is delivered by 91传媒鈥檚聽Entrepreneurship & Innovation Group (EIG)聽and the Islands Entrepreneurial Network team, both part of 91传媒鈥檚 Research, Innovation and Enterprise department. The initiative is supported by funding from the Scottish Funding Council鈥檚 Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Fund.