Geovation Accelerator Calls For Applicants – PropTech, GeoTech, (+ LegalTech)

Geovation, the joint HM Land Registry (HMLR) and Ordnance Survey (OS) startup initiative, is calling for new applicants for its 12 month-long Accelerator Programme. Well-known companies such as Thirdfort, which spans PropTech and Legal Tech, are past members. It also runs a dedicated stream for GeoTech startups, i.e. companies with mapping data at their core.

As you’d expect they’re looking for companies centred around real estate needs, however, as seen with Thirdfort, there is no reason why startups that cross over into the legal sector cannot apply as well. So, if you’re working at the intersection of law and property/geo-data, then it may well be worth giving it a try.

Unlike some incubators/accelerators, Geovation provides a very high level of hands-on support from day one (see below), offering business mentorship, office space, funding and access to high quality government data to help you to build or scale-up your company.

They even offer up to 1,000 hours of software development support – something you don’t usually see from an incubator/accelerator host. Although, this software engineering input may need to be paid for with share options – that said, it’s optional.

As seen with Thirdfort, which seeks to make property sales more safe and efficient via their secure platform, and others such as Orbital Witness, tech that applies to the point where lawyers and the real estate sector intersect can be a fertile area for startups.

And it’s worth noting that both Thirdfort and Orbital Witness, which leverages satellite imagery to help property lawyers in their work, were both part of the MDR Lab incubator at law firm Mishcon de Reya.

What’s on offer at Geovation.

Geovation is now entering its fifth year, and the organisers said they had so far supported 111 start-ups in becoming thriving businesses, which has seen the creation of more than 400 new jobs and £61m ($80m) in third-party investment.

Startups accepted onto the Programme will benefit from:

  • Up to £20,000 in grant funding 
  • Gain access to high quality data from HMLR and OS  
  • Access to land and property insight from HMLR and geospatial expertise from OS
  • Access to office space in London, Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester
  • Access to product development capabilities 
  • Access to a team of full stack developers to help them build their product/service 
  • Business mentorship and coaching 
  • Access to years of industry experience and an extensive business network
  • Bespoke developer support. Up to 1,000 hours of software engineering resource in exchange for share options.

Applications close 24 February, and finalists must be available for interview in London in March. The Programme will start on 15 April 2020.

Alex Wrottesley, Head of Geovation, said of the initiative: ‘To succeed, start-ups need nurturing, and access to experience, expertise and quality data. That is what we do with our Programmes. We provide warm and welcoming environments that encourage them to thrive. Without that intense level of support, it is much harder for start-ups to make an impact.’

‘We are eager to hear from and help ambitious start-ups that use location and/or property data, and who have a clearly defined business plan but lack the resources needed to deliver it,’ he added. 

To find out more about Geovation, visit here, or click here to apply to the Geovation Accelerator Programme.