British Esports, in conjunction with Sunderland Software City, has unveiled the 14 startups chosen for a new esports accelerator programme, designed to advance the sector and generate new employment opportunities in Sunderland.
The programme, which is supported by Sunderland City Council, will provide the startups access to leading industry experts over an eight-week period. This initiative is hosted at the National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland and will focus on crucial areas such as financial management, international expansion, digital marketing, intellectual property protection, and investment preparation.
Set to conclude on November 1, the programme will culminate with the founders pitching to potential investors. The selection process for the 14 firms, which were chosen from 100 applications, was overseen by a panel of tech experts including David Dunn and Hekla Goodman-Parker from Sunderland Software City, and Dave Martin from British Esports. The criteria for selection included the viability of the idea, market opportunity size, team expertise, and product-market fit.
Among the chosen North East startups is Durham-based BSL AR Teacher, which utilises AR and tracking capabilities of Meta Quest 3 to teach British Sign Language. North Shields-based Beam XR aims to provide a live-streaming tool to broadcast XR games across popular streaming services. Reset Reload, located in Gateshead, offers an online platform for aspiring esports athletes, while Morpeth-based Racing Sims North East combines motorsport passion with technological innovation.
Other participants include HD Games from Bristol, ESG Gaming, Smash Mountain Studio, Verus, and Convergence Live Ltd from London, Nexus Interactive Ltd, and Immerzion Developments Ltd from the Scottish Borders. Good Game Truro from Cornwall and DS Performance Sports from Derby are also on the list. Additionally, Gamlytics, a Singapore-founded, US-based esports analytics platform, is participating, having raised $210,000 in its pre-seed investment round backed by venture capital firm Satori Giants. Gamlytics aims to break into the European esports market through this accelerator.
Hekla Goodman Parker from Sunderland Software City remarked, ‘This is an ambitious group of founders, and we have the fantastic opportunity to help them scale by connecting the businesses straight into industry players, thanks to our partnership with British Esports and Sunderland City Council. This will be the first of many accelerators we’ll offer over the coming year as we focus primarily on growing the North East tech sector and bringing investment into the region.’
Patrick Melia, Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council, commented, ‘Our city-wide investment in next-generation infrastructure, combined with our investment and support for this accelerator, underscores Sunderland’s growing reputation as a forward-thinking smart city. The innovative businesses taking part in this program are a testament to our technical proficiency, strong partnerships, and city-wide digital transformation. We’ll watch the progress of these businesses with interest and hope to attract some of these businesses and other similar companies to Sunderland longer-term to be part of our growing and ambitious city.’
Dave Martin of British Esports added, ‘We’re building a partnership with Sunderland Software City and Sunderland City Council to help us achieve our mission of helping to grow a thriving UK’s esports ecosystem. We aim to bring together talent, investment and innovation and set them on a path to success creating more jobs and innovations that are world-leading.’
The esports accelerator programme in Sunderland is a strategic initiative aimed at fostering growth and innovation within the gaming startup sector. With robust support from industry experts and significant institutional backing, the programme is poised to make a lasting impact on the regional and national esports landscapes.