Dundee Academic Accelerator Showcase 2025

We are delighted to invite you to our Academic Accelerator Showcase event.

As our 9-week Academic Accelerator, in partnership with the University of Dundee's Centre of Entrepreneurship, draws to a close, our cohort is ready to share their journey with you. You'll hear Founders' three-minute pitches and learn how the Programme has shaped their ideas into exciting business propositions via masterclasses, expert agitation and the support of the cohort.

There also will be an opportunity to network with the founders and attendees over refreshments.

Showcase Details:

Date: Thursday 28th Aug

Time: 13:30 to 16:00

Disclaimer: During your attendance at the Showcase you may learn and/or have disclosed to you by participants, partners, workshop delivery partners and other mentors, proprietary or confidential information (including, without limitations, information relating to technology, processes, equipment, drawings and specifications) which are not generally known to the public (hereinafter collectively called ‘Confidential Information’). In consideration of your permission to access the Showcase, and for the courtesies extended to you during your visit, you agree on behalf of yourself, and the organisation you represent (if applicable), that you will not disclose or otherwise make available to others any Confidential Information disclosed to you during this and any subsequent visit;* Use or assist others in using or further developing in any manner any Confidential Information; and* Use cameras, recording or video technology to record Confidential Information and / or to subsequently disclose such recordings etc of Confidential Information.* In the event you are called upon by anyone else to divulge any Confidential Information learned as a result of your participation in the workshop you will let us know promptly. Whilst we do want to embrace a culture of collaboration, please remember that you should be mindful of your own obligations of confidentiality owed to your company or others you work with. This is particularly relevant for intellectual property rights that you may have knowledge of, or access to. If you do intend to share something of this nature, remember that formal licensing or other contractual arrangements will be needed to enable our participants to use such rights. PLEASE NOTE: By signing up to attend the Showcase you accept these conditions.

Guest Speaker - Chris Martin, M&A/Corporate Development, Waracle

An exemplary graduate of the University of Dundee, Chris has become a tour-de-force in the world of software, technology, and entrepreneurship. With a career spanning everything from digital infrastructure and security to marketing, product management and golf caddying, he’s founded and scaled multiple successful ventures notably HoundDog Technology and Shackleton Technologies, before steering digital innovation provider Waracle to global stardom as their charismatic CEO and Chair. At the event, Chris will talk about his entrepreneurial journey, from humble Start-up beginnings in a Dundee flat, to global leadership of a multi-million-dollar digital innovations provider.

Now leading a life of adventure in M&A, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Ecconomics & Comedy, he brings a wealth of experience, a passion for helping businesses grow, and a deep-rooted love for Dundee’s tech scene. When he’s not building companies, mentoring founders or getting giddy over an Excel spreadsheet, you’ll find him cheering on Dundee United, living in a campervan, or working from a shed, café, Munro, or wherever the Wi-Fi reaches.

Guest Speakers - Ahmed Sharaf & Hana Woods, MedAscend, Accelerator alumni and Scottish EDGE winners

Hana and Ahmed developed MedAscend a multiple-award winning clinical education platform using AI-powered patient avatars to help healthcare students master real-world consultations. Designed for medical, pharmacy, nursing, and allied health learners, MedAscend enables realistic scenario practice with personalised, curriculum-aligned feedback. The platform recently completed a successful pilot with the University of Dundee and is in adoption discussions with multiple UK universities, NHS bodies, and international institutions.

Their innovation earned them a £50,000 prize at the Scottish EDGE Regional Awards earlier this year.

At the event, they’ll talk through their journey since the accelerator, sharing what they’ve learned, how they’ve grown MedAscend, and what’s next for their startup.