Homepage - Future Worlds

The tech startup accelerator at the University of Southampton

Get in Touch Get in Touch

What is Future Worlds?

Backing Southampton researchers and students to launch and scale startups and spinouts

Future Worlds supports aspiring startup founders from across the University of Southampton.

Undergraduates, researchers, professors and recent graduates can explore their startup potential with Future Worlds.

Southampton researchers

Future Worlds works with researchers of all levels to explore the commercial potential of their innovation, and to launch startups and spinouts. Access expert mentors, receive advice on applying for funding or join the Future Worlds Cohort programme. 

Read more Read more

Southampton students

Working on a piece of tech or thinking about launching a startup? Future Worlds can help you test and build your startup idea through events, 1:1 support and the Future Worlds Bootcamp and Cohort programme.

Read more Read more

Investors

VCs, angels, and institutional investors can be the first to see emerging tech and meet talented startup founders at the University of Southampton by joining the Future Worlds network.

Read more Read more

Supporters

Many of the opportunities facilitated by Future Worlds are made possible by the generous support of individuals and organisations alike, from mentoring and providing in-kind support through to funding events and projects.

Read more Read more

Statistics

£ 78 m
in funding raised by Future Worlds startups since 2020
120 +
aspiring founders supported by Future Worlds annually
81
startups accelerated through the Future Worlds Cohort since 2021
260 +
people currently employed by Future Worlds startups

Our Impact

Deep tech startups are hard to build, particularly for first time founders. Future Worlds introduced us to a large and diverse group of supportive experts who freely gave their time.

This provided Aquark with a strong foundation and the confidence to gain investment of over €5m and grow the team to a dozen staff, with plans for further investment and rapid expansion of our team next year.”

A key moment in the growth of VidiriCO2 was an early trip accompanying the founders cohort to San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The structure of the visit afforded me the flexibility to plan my own meetings with investors and key partners.

This enabled me to strengthen relationships with members of the Future Worlds ecosystem who’ve gone on to be major investors, supporting ViridiCO2 and helping it scale.”

The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Enterprise Fellowship allowed me to tap into the expertise of their extensive network. This opened a vast array of commercial opportunities for my startup.

With expert-level mentoring, guidance and coaching throughout the application process, Future Worlds was instrumental in my receiving the fellowship. I highly recommend anyone applying to get in touch with Future Worlds.”

I first met the Future Worlds team in 2019 as part of a team working on an AI water sensor. We’d just won a hackathon. Since then, they have supported me as I worked on startups with different co-founders and in different sectors, growing and learning with each iteration.

This culminated with LZero being part of Cohort 23, and I know that I will apply all these learnings and experiences as I drive LZero forward.”

My involvement with Future Worlds started small with just going to a few events. When the time was right to do more, they were so approachable and supportive.

As well as the progress I made in developing Zenicam, I underwent personal growth, giving me the confidence to progress from being in the audience to pitching on stage as part of London Tech Week to a capacity audience of investors and industry partners.”

Startup events

Join a Future Worlds event

Is a Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowship right for me?
16/05/2025

Is a Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowship right for me?

Join for valuable insights into the RAEng Enterprise Fellowship programme, helping you determine if it's the right fit for your career aspirations.

Sign Up Sign Up
Getting on the next Future Worlds Cohort
21/05/2025

Getting on the next Future Worlds Cohort

​Featuring input from the Future Worlds team and founders that have been through the experience, this session will be full of advice about getting onto the Future Worlds Cohort.

Sign Up Sign Up
Demo Day 25
11/06/2025

Demo Day 25

Brilliant founders will pitch startups set to change the world to our exclusive audience of investors, mentors and partners.

Request To Join Request To Join

Featured Posts from LinkedIn

Future Worlds 11/03/2025

Are you thinking about doing a PhD but you want to be a startup founder as well?

The Innovation Scholarship PhD programme at University of Southampton is for outstanding UK students who want to pursue a PhD and make a difference in the world.

You’ll work directly with the Future Worlds team and network as part of a PhD programme with a research project which has the potential to be commercialised by bringing new products or services to the market.

Deadline for applications is 14 March.

Find out more and apply at:
https://lnkd.in/efUjecff

Like Or Repost on LinkedIn
Future Worlds 07/03/2025

Another great event in the Future Worlds Accelerator Space yesterday.

Thanks to Jacqui Ayling for sharing her insights and expertise with the University of Southampton researchers and aspiring founders who attended.

We have two more upcoming free lunchtime events open to students and researchers at the University of Southampton in the next few weeks:

“Using your personality to win more in life and business” – with Melisa W. on 13 March

“Pitching to angel investors” – with Chris Spackman of Dorset Business Angels on 20 March

You can book both and subscribe for notifications for upcoming events here:
https://lnkd.in/e3fzCCk8

Like Or Repost on LinkedIn
Future Worlds 01/03/2025

Great to see that SoLead Energy (Future Worlds Cohort 24) has been announced as part of the prestigious Net Zero Technology Centre TechX Clean Energy Accelerator.

SoLead Energy has developed a novel, grid-scale soluble lead flow battery. This innovative solution is fully circular, meaning materials can be sourced from existing lead-acid recycling processes and, at end of life, can be returned to the same point within these processes.

Congratulations to Ewan Fraser, Richard Wills and Andrew Cruden.

Like Or Repost on LinkedIn

Address

University of Southampton,
Southampton, United Kingdom, SO171BJ

Get In Touch

info@futureworlds.com

Stay in touch

© Copyright 2025 | Future Worlds | All Rights Reserved

Made by Chaptr