Innovate UK is looking for investor partners through its Audience of the Future Immersive Technology Investment Accelerator competition. With applications opening on Monday 4 March, UK investors can apply to combine grant funding with investment in UK immersive tech companies.

The Audience of the Future Immersive Technology Investment Accelerator aims to encourage and support investment in innovative immersive technology in the UK’s creative industries, including content, products, services, software and hardware. It will work by providing simultaneous grant funding and venture capital investment in early-stage projects led by UK companies.

This competition recognises that despite the growth of the market, the finance and investment ecosystem is underdeveloped, particularly for the early stage when companies need seed funding to fund research and development (R&D) and to grow.

What is expected of investors

Investors applying to the Investment Accelerator must outline how they intend to invest in order to develop new products, services, systems or tools associated with immersive content production. The grant funding will help maximise the impact of the investor’s private investment in terms of innovation and growth.

Successful investor partners must provide wider business skills and experience as well as capital investment.

Further information

The competition is open to applications from Monday 4 March until midday Wednesday 27 March.

To find out more and to access supporting resources and briefing events, visit our Audience of the Future competition pages.