First 14 gaming startups chosen for Sunderland esports accelerator

Four North East gaming startups are among 14 firms accepted onto a new esports accelerator programme, designed to drive forward the sector and create new jobs in Sunderland.

British Esports, in partnership with Sunderland Software City (SSC), announced the first cohort of budding businesses to take part in the eight-week programme, which is supported by Sunderland City Council and will allow the startups to benefit from leading industry experts. The new programme – taking place at the National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland – covers topics aimed at accelerating growth for esports sector businesses, including financial management, international expansion, digital marketing, protecting intellectual property and preparation for investment.

The accelerator will end on November 1, when founders will pitch to potential investors for funding. The 14 firms were picked from 100 applications by a panel of tech experts including David Dunn and Hekla Goodman-Parker, both of SSC, and Dave Martin of British Esports. They assessed the viability of the idea, size of market opportunity, team expertise and product market fit.

The regional companies taking part include Durham-based BSL AR Teacher, which aims to teaching British Sign Language using AR and tracking capabilities of Meta Quest 3; North Shields-based Beam XR,