A one-day innovation sprint for non-technical founders across Scotland
The South of Scotland is getting its first-ever Female Founder Hackathon, hosted by AccelerateHER in partnership with Techscaler (supported by South of Scotland Enterprise and the Scottish Government) – and you’re invited to apply for an exclusive spot.
You’ve got the drive and determination to bring your startup idea to life, but you’re not sure what you need or where to start with the technology side of it.
This event is designed to bridge the gap between (technical and non-technical) founders and developers, helping you validate your market idea without burning through your budget on an MVP that may not be fit for purpose.
After successful events in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Inverness, this proven format is coming to Dumfries to support more founders in building smarter, faster, and with confidence.
Whether you’re exploring low-code, no-code, white-label or custom tech, this one-day hackathon is designed to help you test your idea, visualise your product and build the confidence to take your next step.
Too many early-stage founders waste time and money building MVPs that don’t solve the real problem.
This hackathon flips that on its head. It’s low-pressure but high-impact – giving you the time, space and support to explore your options before you commit to building.
You’ll work with experienced facilitators and rotating tech coaches to:
Leave with tangible next steps, clearer technical direction, and a practical roadmap for what to build and what not to build next. All in a single day.
We’ll select up to 4–6 founders to take part.
Each founder is matched with a dedicated facilitator – someone to help keep the day focused and accessible. Tech coaches (developers, no-code experts, product designers) will rotate between groups, helping you unlock and validate your ideas in real time.
Hackathons are all about rapid ideation, creative problem-solving, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. This one is designed specifically for early-stage, non-technical founders, with a clear technical problem to explore, and a desire to build the right thing before building the whole thing.
You’ll join a small group of selected founders (a maximum of six) for a structured, supportive day.
On the day, you can expect:
Throughout the day, you’ll get hands-on with your idea, but don’t expect to walk away with a finished product.
This hackathon is a catalyst, not a full build.
You’ll leave with additional clarity, validated ideas, and tangible next steps, but creating production-ready software will require further work and iteration.
If you have data or assets that could help contextualise your challenge (user feedback, early wireframes, usage patterns, etc.), please feel free to bring them. Just make sure you’re legally and ethically comfortable sharing this with the group.
If you’ve got a startup idea but no clue how to start building it, this is for you. We’re especially keen to hear from Scottish founders.
Applications open on Wednesday, 4th February 2026 and close on Wednesday, 4th March 2026. We’ll let you know by Monday, 16th March 2026, if your application was successful.
The application form will ask you to confirm your eligibility, share a brief overview of your startup or idea, and describe both the technical challenge that you wish to address at the Hackathon and the desired outcome or benefits you’re hoping for.
We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our culture – from our spaces and events, to our education programmes and community. To participate in the event, you’ll need to agree to uphold the CodeBase Code of Conduct.
Founders who participate and meet eligibility criteria will be offered membership to the Techscaler community, which includes access to mentorship, education, workspaces, events, and more.
We’re looking for both early-stage founders and experienced tech professionals to volunteer as tech coaches for the day.
Do you have product, dev, UX, or no-code experience? You could help a founder leap forward by volunteering as a tech coach for the day.
If you’d like to share your expertise, support founders in exploring solutions, or find out more about getting involved, please email events@investingwomen.co.uk.
It’s one day of your time. But the impact is huge.
Drop us a line if you want to learn more or chat about whether this is right for you.
We can’t wait to see what we’ll build together.
AccelerateHER and Techscaler are working together to deliver the Hackathon. For this purpose, we’re acting as joint data controllers to deliver the events.
For more detailed information on how and why AccelerateHER and Techscaler use your information, including your rights in relation to your personal data, and the legal grounds for using it, please go to: