Manchester entrepreneurs use AI accelerator to fast-track ideas into products

Manchester entrepreneurs have harnessed artificial intelligence to turn their ideas and expertise into new technology through a six-week University programme.

Their innovations range from an AI-powered coaching platform for young professionals and technology to assess whether businesses are ready for growth, to a wearable designed to track human movement and a platform for preserving family memories.

Former HSBC and Goldman Sachs finance professional Ife Emmanuel used the University of Salford’s BUILD AI programme to develop The Backstage, an AI-powered platform designed to make executive presence and communication coaching more accessible to early-career professionals.

Ife entered the programme with an idea he had already tested with former colleagues and finance professionals but uncertainty about how AI could turn it into a viable product.

By the end of the six weeks, he had developed a working demonstration that he could put in front of potential users. He has since shown the platform to around 100 people, gathering feedback and refining it ahead of a planned paid launch.

Ife said: “BUILD AI didn’t simply help me create a prototype. It gave me the confidence, structure and practical understanding to turn an ambitious idea into something tangible.”

Fellow Manchester entrepreneur Mary Fashanu used BUILD AI to develop and launch the Growth Readiness Index, an AI-powered assessment tool that evaluates how prepared organisations are for growth and generates a tailored action plan.

Mary, founder of The Maverick Group, had spent years advising organisations on growth but previously assumed turning that expertise into software would require developers, significant investment and months or years of work.

Through BUILD AI, she was able to build the application herself. The Growth Readiness Index is now being validated with businesses as she explores how AI can help turn more of her consultancy expertise into scalable digital products.

Mary said: “For me, the biggest breakthrough wasn’t simply building one application. It was realising I could do it myself.”

Other Manchester participants include David Sowah, founder of ILIOS Limited, who used BUILD AI to accelerate the development of an AI-powered wearable that measures, models and interprets human movement.

Inspired by his own experience of recovering from a serious injury, David is developing the technology to provide greater insight into movement during rehabilitation, healthcare, research and human performance. BUILD AI helped him develop the AI backend and advance the technology towards further product development and testing.

Ivanova Amengor, of ULS Global Limited, used the programme to turn her idea for a digital family legacy platform into a proposition she had the skills and confidence to develop into an MVP for real-world testing.

Inspired by becoming a mother and wanting to preserve the memories surrounding her children’s lives, Ivanova’s platform is designed to give families a private, secure place to preserve photographs, voice notes, memories and personal reflections for future generations.

Across the 12 participants, the programme has already helped take four products to launch or near-launch, put six working prototypes into testing and accelerated two existing technology ventures.

BUILD AI (Business Uplift, Innovation and Lean Development through Artificial Intelligence) was developed by the University of Salford’s Centre for Sustainable Innovation (CSI) and delivered in collaboration with NoCodeLab.ai.

The programme combined hands-on AI development with commercialisation support and mentoring, helping participants rapidly build and test their ideas while exploring how they could become viable products and businesses.

Dr Ann Mulhaney, Associate Professor for Change Management at the University of Salford’s Centre for Sustainable Innovation, said: “When we created BUILD AI, we wanted to open up AI development to people with brilliant ideas but who might never have thought of themselves as tech builders. These entrepreneurs know their businesses, their industries and the problems they want to solve inside out. What they haven’t always had are the technical skills or resources to turn that knowledge into a product. We wanted to change that.

“In just six weeks they’ve built working products, tested ideas with real customers, launched new solutions and taken businesses forward at incredible speed. That’s what excites me about AI. Put these tools into the hands of talented, ambitious people, give them the right support and confidence, and it’s amazing what they can build.”

Participants are now taking their innovations into the next stage, from customer testing and product refinement to commercial launch, investment and further development.

Sara Simeone, founder of NoCodeLab.ai, said: “One of the most exciting things about AI-assisted development is the speed at which entrepreneurs can now experiment. They can build something, put it in front of users, learn what works and what doesn’t, and improve it without spending months and huge amounts of money getting to that point.

“BUILD AI gave participants the space to do that alongside other founders, mentors and experts who could challenge their thinking and share their experience. That combination of rapid experimentation and a supportive community has helped people make huge strides in a very short space of time.”