A focused starting point
A structured starting review to understand your venture, identify the most important priorities and agree where the programme can add most value.
MotionLabs
SportsTech Accelerator Programme
For Sport and Wellbeing Tech founders and innovators across Scotland who want to strengthen their proposition and build a clearer route towards customers, partners and investment.
Apply NowDesign. Validate. Build.
FREE TO PARTICIPATEHYBRID DELIVERYOPEN ACROSS SCOTLAND
(01) What is MotionLabs SportsTech Accelerator?
A free, sport and wellbeing-specific accelerator helping SportsTech ventures turn promising ideas into stronger propositions, clearer evidence and practical routes to growth.
We help sports tech and wellbeing ventures sharpen, test and evidence their propositions with sport-sector insight, technical validation, commercial readiness and access to investment support.
What you get
CORE PROGRAMME | ALL 12–15 COHORT VENTURES
Mentors and experts
Strategic guidance from experienced founders, industry operators and experts to challenge your thinking, sharpen priorities and help guide your next steps.
Cohort workshops
Practical sessions to sharpen your value proposition, understand customers and buyers, and build confidence around route to market, pricing, finance, IP and fundraising.
Validation activities
Access relevant opportunities to test and strengthen your proposition with university and sport-sector partners, through expert review, stakeholder feedback, workshops and practical testing.
Founder Fireside Chats
Learn directly from Sportstech entrepreneurs who have navigated the challenges of building, growing, and funding innovative ventures.
Founder Circle Sessions
Informal, facilitated peer-learning sessions where founders can share challenges, practice pitches, receive feedback, and support each other's growth.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT | 6 VENTURES SELECTED FROM APPLICATIONS
Commercialisation support
Hands-on support to deliver focused commercial activities, such as customer discovery and validation, pricing, routes to market and pilot development.
Investor showcase and feedback
The same six ventures will have the opportunity to showcase to investors and receive direct feedback on their proposition.
All cohort ventures will conclude the programme with a feedback and next steps session to review progress and identify opportunities for further development.
(02) Who is it for?
MotionLabs is for founders and innovators building products, services, technologies or data-led propositions with a clear application in sport, physical activity or wellbeing.
We welcome applications from founders of all backgrounds and from across Scotland, including first-time and experienced founders, women and other underrepresented founders, rural businesses, and teams outside traditional startup networks.
You do not need to have raised investment or taken part in an accelerator before.
We expect to welcome 12–15 ventures into the cohort. Six will also be selected from applications for additional hands-on commercialisation support and the investor showcase.
You could be at:
Concept / early proposition
You have a clear idea and want to understand whether it solves a meaningful problem for a defined user or buyer.
Prototype / MVP
You have something to test and want structured feedback from users, experts or potential adopters.
Pilot-ready
You are ready to shape a credible pilot, understand what evidence matters and explore what could help or block adoption.
Early commercial traction
You have some traction and want to strengthen your positioning, route to market or case for customers and investors.
Is MotionLabs the right accelerator for you?
A clear application in sport, physical activity or wellbeing.
SportsTech applications can also include areas such as fan engagement, event or incident management, where relevant.
A product, service, technology or data-led proposition with something meaningful to explore, strengthen or test.
A development priority, question or assumption you would value support to work through.
A willingness to engage, learn from feedback and adapt where useful.
Capacity to take part in programme activity between September 2026 and March 2027.
Our partners
(03) The programme
We expect to welcome 12–15 ventures into the MotionLabs cohort.
All will receive the core programme: a starting review, cohort workshops, mentor input, validation opportunities and an end-of-cohort feedback session. Six ventures will also receive hands-on commercialisation support and an investor showcase.
Your journey: September 2026 to March 2027
Programme element
Start and focus
Get clear on where your venture is now, what matters most next and where the programme can help.
Mentor and founder insights
Access mentors, industry experts and Sportstech founders to help you reflect on progress, challenge assumptions and guide your next steps.
Learn and refine
Practical workshops and peer-support sessions covering value proposition, customers and buyers, route to market, pricing, finance, IP and fundraising.
Validation activities
Access relevant opportunities with university and sport-sector partners, including expert review, stakeholder feedback, workshops and practical testing.
Review, feedback and next steps
All ventures finish with a feedback session to review progress, clarify next steps and identify useful follow-on connections.
Sep 26Oct 26Nov 26Dec 26Jan 27Feb 27Mar 27
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT | 6 VENTURES SELECTED FROM APPLICATIONS
Commercialisation support
Six selected ventures receive hands-on support on customer discovery, pricing, routes to market and pilot development.
Investor showcase
The six selected ventures can showcase to investors and receive direct feedback.
(04) Who we are
MotionLabs combines sport-specific networks and validation opportunities for the whole cohort, with additional hands-on commercialisation support for six ventures selected from applications.
Sport-specific networks and validation opportunities
MotionLabs is building a living lab for sport and wellbeing innovation, connecting ventures with relevant athletes, clubs, sport governing bodies, facilities, researchers, universities and testing capability.
The core MotionLabs team helps founders make the most of its sport-sector and university networks.
Ross Tuffee
Ross is a tech founder and Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Stirling. A founding member of SEITA and SportsTech Scotland, he has worked as a government advisor, NED, investor and for several global corporates.
Dylan Powell
Dr Dylan Powell is a Physio and Senior Lecturer at the University of Stirling. His background spans the NHS, academia, industry and sport, with doctoral work exploring wearables in remote monitoring and brain health.
The Ventures Lab
Commercialisation experience and practical support
Part of Challenges Group, The Ventures Lab draws on 27 years of global venture-building and enterprise support. It will lead hands-on commercialisation support for the six ventures selected for the additional support track.
(05) FAQs
A few of the questions founders and innovators are likely to have before applying.
We expect to welcome 12–15 ventures. All receive the core programme, with six selected for additional hands-on commercialisation support and the investor showcase.
No. We’ll use the starting review to understand where you are now, what matters most and where the programme can add useful support.
The programme supports ventures from a defined concept through prototype, MVP, pilot-ready and early commercial stages.
Products, services, technologies and data-led propositions with a clear application in sport, physical activity or wellbeing.
All ventures take part in the core programme. Six receive additional hands-on commercialisation support and the investor showcase.
MotionLabs will not build the product for you. We help create relevant validation opportunities while your venture remains responsible for its product and delivery.
No. Connections depend on relevance, availability, permissions, safeguarding, data requirements and fit.
Yes. There is no participation fee for any venture selected for the cohort.
Come ready to participate, share where you are now, engage with agreed activity and act on what you learn.
Yes. Delivery combines online and in-person activity, and applications are welcome from across Scotland.
The end-of-cohort review will identify next steps and relevant connections across the wider sport, innovation and startup ecosystem.
Expect to commit to a weekly half-day workshop over six weeks, with sessions delivered both online and in person in Edinburgh. To get the most from the programme, participants should also engage with Founder Circle sessions, founder fireside chats and other cohort activities. Technical validation support and mentoring are provided on a more flexible, needs-led basis.
(06) Ready to apply?
You do not need a polished pitch or a finished venture. We want to understand what you are building, what you have learned so far and where the programme could help you move forward.
When does it run?
Core activity is expected to run from September 2026 to March 2027, with a mix of online and in-person delivery.
How do you apply?
Complete the application and tell us what you are building, who it is for, what you have learned and what you would most value help to strengthen or test next.
We expect to select 12–15 ventures for the cohort, with six receiving the additional hands-on commercialisation support and investor showcase.
Bring the innovation.
We’ll help build the evidence.
Enter online applicationDeadline: [insert date] | Contact: [insert email]
FREE TO PARTICIPATE | HYBRID DELIVERY | OPEN ACROSS SCOTLAND
In your application, help us understand:
What you are building and the sport, physical activity or wellbeing problem it addresses.
Who uses it, who may buy or adopt it and what you have learned from them so far.
What stage the product or proposition has reached and what you have already tried, tested or learned.
What you would most value help to strengthen, learn or prove next, even if you are not yet sure how.