Demo Day: South Midlands High Growth Readiness Accelerator

Preparing Northamptonshire businesses for investment and scale

Demo Day is the official launch event for the High Growth Readiness Programme — a new initiative designed to help ambitious founders understand what it really takes to become investment ready.

This is a public-facing event for founders, spinouts, and innovation-led businesses who are considering external funding and want clarity beyond pitch decks and storytelling.

About the High Growth Readiness Programme

The High Growth Readiness Programme is a focused, four-week sprint supporting founders to build credible, fundable businesses that investors want to back.

This is not pitch training.

Instead, the programme focuses on the broader realities of investment readiness — from strategy and structure to traction, governance, and investor alignment. Founders are supported to move beyond slides and narratives, and towards the fundamentals that underpin sustainable scale.

Participants gain:

• A clear framework for understanding investment readiness

• Practical guidance grounded in real investor expectations

• Direct exposure to investors and ecosystem partners

• Honest insight into what funders look for before they invest

The programme also acts as a gateway into the wider FundingHero ecosystem, with high-performing founders invited to progress onto the FundingHero Midlands 12-week programme, starting 20 March.

What to Expect at Demo Day

At Demo Day, you’ll hear directly from:

• Investors and funders

• Experienced founders and operators

• Programme partners and ecosystem leaders

Together, they’ll explore the difference between pitching and being investable, share real-world perspectives on funding readiness, and outline what the programme offers.

Founders attending Demo Day will also be invited to apply for the upcoming cohort of the High Growth Readiness Programme.

Who Should Attend

This event is ideal for:

• Early-stage startups with high growth ambition

• University spinouts and innovation-led businesses

• Founders considering angel investment, VC funding, or significant debt to scale

• Businesses seeking clarity on funding strategy — not just pitch polish

If you’re serious about growth and want to understand what investors actually expect, Demo Day is your starting point.