We're pleased to announce that CleverGoose has signed an incubation agreement with Akcela Ventures, joining our portfolio of tech-enabled startups.
CleverGoose is building a SaaS platform here in Norwich. Through the Akcela incubator, the team will receive 12 to 18 months of hands-on support — including free desk space at Fuel Studios, weekly working sessions with the Akcela team, fundraising support, and access to our investor and partner network.
About CleverGoose
CleverGoose is developing a software-as-a-service product that addresses a clear market need. The founding team brings strong domain expertise — the kind of first-hand understanding of a problem that consistently produces the most viable companies in our experience.
SaaS businesses have a particular set of challenges at the early stage: getting the product-market fit right before scaling, pricing correctly, building for retention rather than just acquisition, and structuring the business in a way that makes sense for future investment. These are exactly the areas where incubation adds the most value.
Why CleverGoose chose Akcela
Every company we incubate has something in common: a founder or founding team with deep conviction about the problem they're solving, and the willingness to do the work to build a real business. CleverGoose fits that profile.
The founders chose Akcela because the programme is designed for exactly their stage — post-idea, pre-product, with a clear vision but needing structured support to validate assumptions, build properly, and prepare for investment. Rather than spending months figuring out things that experienced founders already know, the incubation programme compresses that learning curve.
How the equity-for-services model works
Akcela's incubation model is equity-for-services. Founders pay nothing upfront — no fees, no rent, no monthly retainers. Instead, Akcela takes a small shareholding in the company. That stake dilutes alongside future investment, which means our incentives are completely aligned: we only do well if CleverGoose does well.
This model matters for two reasons. First, it removes the financial barrier for founders who can't afford to pay for support while they're building something that doesn't yet generate revenue. Second, it means Akcela is genuinely invested in the outcome — not just delivering a service and walking away.
The programme itself includes free city-centre desk space at Fuel Studios, weekly hands-on sessions with the Akcela team, structured customer discovery, SEIS advance assurance guidance, pitch preparation, investor introductions through Anglia Capital Group and the wider angel network, and legal structuring support to get share agreements and IP right from day one.
Growing the portfolio
CleverGoose joins Tech Educators, Aidos Protects, Glowfrog Games, Moss Monkey Games, GoDesk, and others in the Akcela portfolio. Each company operates in a different sector, but they share a common thread: technology is central to how they deliver value, and they're building from Norwich.
Across the portfolio, Akcela-incubated companies have raised over £2.2 million in investment and secured more than £435,000 in grant funding. The Future Tech Programme — delivered in partnership with Connected Innovation, Norfolk County Council, and Suffolk County Council — has supported 79 businesses in total.
What's next for CleverGoose
The immediate focus is product-market fit — the structured process of validating that what CleverGoose is building is genuinely what customers need and will pay for. From there, the programme moves through business model refinement, fundraising preparation, and the milestones that take a SaaS company from early development to its first paying customers.
If you're building something and want to explore whether incubation is right for you, apply to the programme or get in touch. You can also learn more about what a business incubator does or explore funding options for early-stage founders.
Welcome to the team, CleverGoose.
