Call for Applications: Founder Labs Programme (UK)

Founder Labs is designed to support early-stage founders building scalable, startups with high-growth potential.

Benefits

• Workshops
  • Engage in targeted workshops covering key areas essential to building your startup — including Product, Technology, Sales, Marketing, Legal, and Finance.
• Founder Firesides
  • Learn directly from experienced founders through their Founder Fireside series. Hear honest stories of both their successes and failures, and gain valuable insights you can apply to your own journey.
• Mentorship
  • Connect with experienced mentors and Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) who are committed to your growth. They’ll share practical advice, insights, and actionable feedback tailored to your business.
• Pitching
  • Develop and refine your story with hands-on support. You’ll have opportunities to test and strengthen your pitch throughout the programme, culminating in Demo Day after three months.
• Fundraising
  • Get direct exposure to active investors through regular Investor Days and fundraising events. They’ll prepare you to meet investors face-to-face and build real relationships that drive results.
• International Trips
  • Expand your perspective and network by travelling with the Founder Labs team to key global hubs — including San Francisco, New York, London, and Dublin — meeting top founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders in each city.

Funding Information

• If successful you will be eligible to receive £25k in grant funding from InvestNI which will be paid in tranches as you complete the programme. There is no expectation or equity or repayment if you successfully complete the programme.

Duration

• The programme will last for six months and will be split into a three month intensive, in-person phase with a further three months of concierge support during execution. There will also be international trips to the US & Europe.

Eligibility Criteria

• Anyone who has an ambitious and transformative idea with a tech focus. It can be at the idea stage, or you may have already launched a product and have your first few customers. If selected for the programme it is expected that you will have a Northern Ireland limited company and a UK bank account. If you have a limited company that is not registered in Northern Ireland you can still apply and if successful, then you will be expected to form a subsidiary in NI, owned by the parent company. They can provide advice on this in advance of application if you are not certain of the process or implications.
• You can apply if you have already raised some investment, but teams that have already raised a larger amount of investment (e.g. over £500,000) may not get much benefit from the programme.
• Ultimately, they want founders that are ambitious, and businesses which are scalable. What do they mean by that? Well after 3 years of trading, they’d want your business to have revenue or funding over £1M, and for the majority of your sales to be from outside Northern Ireland.

For more information, visit Ormeau Labs.