Sussex Innovation’s AccelerateTech competition for early-stage businesses leveraging deep tech has moved into its second phase. Five companies remain in with a chance of winning a grand prize acceleration package worth £20,000 – including a free office for a whole year.

In all, 28 deep tech ventures rooted in fundamental science, technology and engineering applied for the competition, with many in attendance at Sussex Innovation’s 30th birthday celebrations on 2nd June, where the five finalists were announced. They will now go on to a pitch day, where the eventual winner will be decided based on three parameters that are critical for growth: ambition, innovation and scalability.

The five finalists are:

  • RealityCheq a platform focused on addressing misinformation and supporting clearer understanding by providing fact-checked data from trusted research institutions.
  • Stopford Healthcare a clinician-led health innovation company driving the future of medical consultancy, digital transformation, and AI-powered healthcare.
  • Spectomiq a pre-spin-out from the University of Sussex, developing quantum magnetic sensing systems deployable for real-world environments.
  • gClouds a deep tech company building infrastructure for the AI agent economy, developing an open protocol that enables autonomous AI agents to discover, authenticate, and collaborate across decentralised networks.
  • Mechara a woman-led systems engineering firm using model-based systems engineering, digital twins, and simulation to reduce risk and accelerate delivery of complex engineering programmes.

The winning company will receive a high impact 12-month acceleration prize, which includes:

  • One year of free tenancy membership with Sussex Innovation, including office space for a small team with on-site car parking, utilities and concierge service included.
  • A place on Sussex Innovation’s new Tech Accelerator programme, providing the tools, tech industry mentoring and strategic advice to scale.
  • Membership of a monthly marketing club for peer-to-peer connections, advice and mentorship.
  • Exclusive membership benefits and discounts from retail, hospitality and enterprise service partners.

In addition, all finalists will win a place alongside the winner on the Tech Accelerator programme.