Leeds startup secures place on NASDAQ-backed accelerator

Leeds dating app JigTalk has become the first to be accepted on a San Francisco accelerator run by stock exchange NASDAQ.

The placement on the non-profit entrepreneurial centre is said be worth $250,000.

The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center is entering into its third cycle helping early to mid-stage entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

Hundreds of applicants have applied to ‘Milestone Makers’, with just ten selected for each programme.

23 year-old Alex Durrant, CEO and co-founder of JigTalk, is the first UK-based entrepreneur to be selected in the history of the programme.

Since joining up with friend-turned-business partner Max Adamski, also 23, to develop the application, the pair have acquired investment from New York and London angel investors before releasing the first version of JigTalk in February 2017.

It gained more than 10,000 users in just 16 weeks of launching, with a feedback-driven version 2 already on the horizon.

Alex said: “I am very excited to represent the UK within the home of tech! Building JigTalk has been a challenging experience, but witnessing the response makes it all worth it. I’m looking to build connections with the other entrepreneurs and mentors in San Francisco and raise the profile of UK tech outside of London!”

“As we all know, San Francisco and Silicon Valley are the main tech hubs of the world, so I hope that forming these new bridges will encourage and help other young northern entrepreneurs”.

Alex’s trip to San Francisco comes on the back of a recent Northern Powerhouse tech delegation led by Dr Adam Beaumont from Leeds tech giant aql.

Founded in Leeds in 2016, JigTalk is supported by two local non-executive directors, Jonny Filewood, CEO of digital marketing agency Enjoy Digital, and Stuart Clarke, the director of the Leeds Digital Festival.

Pictured: Alex Durrant, co-founder; Eve Kekeh, marketing manager; Max Adamski, co-founder.

Close