01After Pitch Day
We build it with you
Product, engineering and design, side by side with the founders. Your MVP becomes a real product.
- Product & architecture
- Engineering support
- Design system & UX
The accelerator
Three weeks to learn. Then we build it with you.
The BlackNight Group is a startup accelerator for technical founders. We select builders, match them into balanced teams, run a 3-week intensive on how startups really work — then back the best ideas with product, marketing, investors and launch.
- 3-week intensive
- Solo or team — we match you
- £0 to join
At a glance
The programme at a glance
- Hands-on intensive
- 3weeks
- Per matched team
- 2–4people
- Per cohort
- ≤10teams
- To join — no fees, no tuition
- £0
Getting in
From application to kick-off.
A short, human process. Every application is read by the founders — no automated filters.
01 · Today
Apply
Five minutes, no CV. Tell us who you are, what you’ve built and how you like to work.
02 · By email
Selection meeting
Shortlisted applicants get an email with the location and time of an in-person selection meeting.
03 · After selection
Team matching
Solo builders are matched into balanced teams. Existing teams stay together — and we fill the gaps.
04 · Week 01
Kick-off
The cohort meets, teams form properly and the 3-week intensive begins.
Curriculum
Three weeks, module by module.
Week 01Foundations
How startups actually work.
- 01Finding problems worth solving
- 02Customer discovery & interviews
- 03Market size without the fantasy
- 04Business models that make sense
- 05Defining the MVP — and what not to build
You leave the week with
A validated problem and a sharp MVP scope
Week 02Build
Ship the MVP.
- 01Product architecture that scales later
- 02AI-assisted development, properly
- 03Design systems & UX that earn trust
- 04Data, auth and payments
- 05From prototype to production
You leave the week with
A working MVP real people can use
Week 03Launch craft
Put it in front of people.
- 01Positioning & the landing page
- 02Pricing without guesswork
- 03Content, social & distribution
- 04Your first users and feedback loops
- 05The pitch, the deck and the demo
You leave the week with
A launch plan, a deck and a live demo
How a week works
Learn it. Build it. Show it.
01
Founder sessions
Hands-on sessions with Atlas and Alessandro — no slides for the sake of slides.
02
Build time
Protected time to build with your team, applying the same week’s lessons.
03
Office hours
Bring blockers — technical, product or growth — and get unstuck fast.
04
Demos
Show what you shipped. Every week ends with something real on screen.
The finale
Pitch Day.
At the end of the intensive every team pitches its own idea to TBN. We score what matters — and the strongest ventures move into build with us.
- Problem — is it real and painful?
- Market — who pays, and how many?
- Product — does the MVP prove it?
- Revenue — is there a path to it?
Opportunities
After Pitch Day, the real work starts.
Selected ventures don’t get a certificate. They get the TBN engine — the same people, playbook and network we use on our own companies.
01 / 05
- 02After Pitch Day
We market it with you
Brand, content and distribution — we help you find your audience and speak to it properly.
- Brand & identity
- Content & social
- Growth experiments
- 03After Pitch Day
We launch it
A real launch to real users: positioning, launch plan, press and the first customers.
- Launch strategy
- First users
- Feedback loops
- 04After Pitch Day
We find your investors
Narrative, deck and demo — then warm introductions to the investors who fit your company.
- Pitch & deck prep
- Warm introductions
- Round strategy
- 05After Pitch Day
We take you to San Francisco
A founders’ trip for selected ventures: meet investors in person, walk the campuses of Apple and Google, and see how the best teams build.
- Investor meetings
- Silicon Valley campuses
- The TBN network
And we stay in the room — long after launch.
Now open
Applications are open for Royal Holloway, University of London.
Chapter 01 starts on campus. Apply in five minutes — solo or as a team, with or without an idea.
Chapter 01 · Egham, Surrey
Faq
Questions, answered.
Anything else? Apply — and ask us in your application. We read every one.
No. Some of the best founders arrive with nothing but skill and ambition. During the intensive you’ll find — and pitch — your own idea.
Not necessarily. We’re looking for engineers, designers, operators and marketers. Everyone builds, though — and we’ll show you how modern teams ship with AI-assisted tools.
Nothing. There are no fees and no tuition. We invest our time, expertise and execution.
Yes. Apply on your own or as a team — we match people into balanced teams either way.
The intensive runs for three weeks and it’s meant to be intense: sessions, build time and check-ins. Exact schedules are shared with selected founders.
You pitch your idea to TBN. The strongest ideas move into build — we work alongside you on product, brand, launch, marketing and investor readiness.
You’re the founder. If we build your idea together, we formalise the partnership properly — terms are shared transparently with selected founders.
Atlas (marketing & growth) and Alessandro (CTO) — founders who’ve been building since university, with twelve businesses built and run between them, including Inverta and Omelia. Chapter 01 starts at Royal Holloway.
Yes. Selected ventures get investor preparation and introductions, and join the TBN founders’ trip to San Francisco to meet investors in person.
You’ll receive an email with the location and time of your first selection meeting. From there, we’ll be in touch about teams and the intensive.
Ready to build? Apply now.
Five minutes. No CV. Every application is read by the founders.