Transforming lives with entrepreneurship
Strathclyde Inspire supports entrepreneurship in all its forms. If you’re a Strathclyde student, staff member, or alumnus, we can help you:
- explore your entrepreneurial potential
- with your idea for a business
- commercialise your research.
Join our community
You don’t need any previous experience to begin. Discover how our award-winning team can help you at any stage of your journey, whether you want to explore, create, launch or grow.
And to stay in touch with our latest learning opportunities, news and advice via our monthly email bulletin, join our community.
Explore
Unlock your entrepreneurial mindset with Strathclyde Inspire.
Create
Realise your potential with our Start Up, Intellectual Property and Commercialisation support.
Launch
Accelerate your opportunity with our investor-ready Accelerator for pre-seed start-ups and spin-outs.
Grow
Grow your venture with our early-stage investment and scale-up support designed for ambitious founders.
Strathclyde Inspire embodies our entrepreneurial spirit and will help our students and staff realise their creativity and ambition, empowering them to make an impact on the world around them.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
Our inspiring people
Joanne Butler
Founder of MyEmploy
The exposure I gained from pitching at the Strathclyde Inspire100 event has been invaluable. Winning the award not only validated my business concept but also garnered attention from potential clients, investors, and partners. This increased visibility has helped to expand my network and forge meaningful connections within the industry.
Chris Lawlor
Founder of Lawlor Technologies
Securing a place on the Inspire Accelerator programme enabled me to grow my business rapidly over a six-month period, gaining knowledge from workshops on topics including legalities, marketing, public speaking, investor pitching and finance. The most valuable support I received was the connections I made – I still work with many of them years down the line!
Dr Saber Khayatzadeh
Founder of Ilosta
Being given an office space in the Inspire Hub provided us with a great space to effectively work on our technical development in a welcoming environment. It has allowed us to expand our network and introduce our technology to others. Our presence in the Hub has given us invaluable credibility for collaborating with other industries.
Matthew McLean
Founder of Airspection
I first connected with Strathclyde Inspire as a student. The guidance I received from the start-up advisor was invaluable. With Strathclyde's initial funding, we developed our prototype and successfully applied for Scottish Young Edge, winning a prize. Subsequent support from Inspire100 funding significantly accelerated development of the business, marking a crucial turning point for our venture.
Kate McKenzie
Founder of C2LI
The resources available through Strathclyde Inspire are tremendous and, depending on your journey, there are so many different potential avenues for inspiration and assistance. You just have to stay curious and find what works for you.
Stuart Hannah
Founder of Microplate Dx
The Industry Engagement & Commercialisation team at Strathclyde Inspire has helped us commercialise the technology every step of the way, from initial market research, customer discovery, stakeholder engagement, securing funding, to spinning out.
Scott Kennedy & Fergus Moore
Founders of Revive
We were fortunate enough to access support from Inspire at an early stage of our journey, working with them right through to founding the company and receiving a plethora of support including workshops, office space, mentorship, and funding. We have also presented at Inspire100 events, which helped share our business with a wide audience of potential partners and investors.
Janani Prabhakaran
Founder of Unbaggaged
Strathclyde Inspire’s Start-Up team have supported me every step of the way in my business journey, with everything from development of an entrepreneurial mindset to human resources and correcting first time founder mistakes. Taking part in the Accelerator programme helped me to grow my business and network, while receiving invaluable guidance and advice from Inspire Supporters.
Caitlin Stewart
Founder of FUIL
Truthfully, I can say I would not be where I am today if not for my involvement with Strathclyde Inspire and the support they provided. Engaging with the team allowed me to gain confidence to effectively communicate my thoughts and ideas, allowing me to grow in my career.
Robbie MacIsaac
FLUX Solutions
As an engineer, I focus on details and often spend too much time trying to make sure everything is perfect. However, in business and entrepreneurship, things can change quickly. It is important to be reactive and adaptable.
Dr Kieren Egan
CareFit
There is no set course for entrepreneurial experience - progress is unlikely to be linear. It’s common that you’ll have setbacks and feedback you don’t expect. For me, an important approach has been to take these opportunities for growth, not just for the company, but also for me professionally.
Dr Clare Daly
Founder of Dynamigo
Before I got involved with Strathclyde Inspire, I knew we had a great idea, but I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with it. The team at Inspire do just that. They inspire you to take the next step and make your idea a reality. They take the time to understand your project and your individual needs. They encourage you to be bold and connect you with the right people to enable you to progress.
Moksha Menon
Founder of &I Technologies
The support and guidance I received from Strathclyde Inspire was invaluable in shaping my idea into a viable business concept. As a first-time founder, I lacked familiarity with entrepreneurial terminology and processes. Inspire provided a nurturing environment for both me and my business, fostering learning, growth, and providing essential support in terms of networking and workshops.
Charles Huang Foundation:
A transformational gift
In September 2021, the University received £50 million from alumnus and global business leader Dr Charles Huang from his philanthropic foundation.
The gift is the largest Strathclyde has ever received – and is set to transform the lives of students and the global communities we serve.
Read more about the four areas the gift will support.
Latest news
Strathclyde supported businesses awarded Scottish EDGE funding
Six Inspire-supported businesses have been awarded a total £280,000 of funding in the latest Scottish EDGE competition, the UK’s biggest funding competition for high growth potential businesses. Drone company Airspection was awarded £100,000, while Tech start-up Senguard received £75,000, along with MedTech company Seluna. A £10,000 Wild Card award was given to Kineticolor, while Scotia Biotech was awarded £10,000 in the Young EDGE category.
Strathclyde’s first social enterprise spinout wins national award
Strathclyde’s first social enterprise spinout company has won a UK-wide award for its work on climate change laws. C²LI (Climate Change Legal Initiative) has been named Transformative Social Venture of the Year in the PraxisAuril KE (Knowledge Exchange) Awards, held annually to honour “excellence and innovation” in knowledge exchange. The company, founded in the Strathclyde Law School, was commended for its work in enhancing legal knowledge and expertise to drive just and transformational climate action.
Strathclyders pitch for £18,500 prize funding at the Inspire100
Six start-up and spin-out companies founded by Strathclyders pitched their businesses to an audience of entrepreneurs, investors and experts to compete for a share of prize funding. The bi-annual Strathclyde Inspire100 event at the Technology and Innovation Centre saw a total prize fund of £18,500 – with the Charles Huang Foundation providing a prize pot of £10,000 for a start-up or spin-out business, and Santander providing £7,500 for a start-up business. The RACS Foundation also added £1,000 to the prize pot to introduce Inspire’s first ‘People’s Choice Award’.
Strathclyde spinouts win big at Converge awards
InProcess, co-founded by Engineering research fellow Dr Momchil Vasilev and his colleague Professor Charles MacLeod, won first prize in the Converge Challenge category at the awards, receiving £50,000 in equity-free cash and £20,500 of in-kind business support. PCAD, led by Dr Anthony McGarry of the Department of Biomedical Engineering with Iain McDougall, was named runner-up, receiving £20,000 in equity-free cash and £9,500 of in-kind business support.