The Turing Innovation Catalyst project was fundamental to NeuWave’s success in 2025. From investment and funding assistance, to mentors that truly changed the way we think.
In appreciation and celebration of this – and to raise awareness of the programme for other local founders – we wanted to put together a run down of the TIC Engine Room events, the foundation, and how it’s reshaped NeuWave for success.
Let’s dive in!
The Turing Innovation Catalyst
Founded in 2023, the Turing Innovation Catalyst (TIC) is a Manchester-based startup accelerator. Having previously worked with over 170 AI-based companies, TIC is designed to educate and empower the next wave of tech industry founders.
The NeuWave team were invited to participate in 2025’s Engine Room, and we’ve been attending the monthly meet-ups ever since! The goal of these monthly events is collaborative learning and development.
The programme itself includes access to over 40 successful, engaging mentors; ongoing support workshops; and interactive skills sessions and seminars. Mentors include previous Head of Innovation at Microsoft, an 8x successful exit founder, and the CMO of 3 startups.
With their assistance and access via TIC, we’ve had the opportunity to understand our own business more deeply with expert guidance, and to sprout an ever-growing network of local connections.
The state and history of AI innovation in Manchester
As the name may suggest, TIC’s core focus is AI. So let’s take a quick detour for some local history.
Being widely lauded as one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, Alan Turing played a pivotal role in the Allied victory in WWII and reshaped the future of computing. His story is one of endurance; a relentless push to explore the boundaries of logic and machine learning.
The TIC Foundation’s namesake is now recognised as the father of artificial intelligence and modern computing. And despite the years of mistreatment he faced, Manchester, the city called home, has worked hard to honour his legacy and embrace the unconventional genius who helped birth an entirely new field.
Our city has spent decades building on that legacy of innovation. From the world’s first stored-program computer at the University of Manchester, to pioneering robotics labs and data science research groups, the region has consistently punched above its weight in technical innovation.
Over the last decade, that history has fuelled a thriving AI ecosystem – cutting-edge university research, active meet-up communities, a fast-growing pipeline of AI startups, and brand new tech.
Today, Manchester’s AI startup scene is rivalling that of even London. It spans machine learning, healthtech, climate intelligence (including us at NeuWave), robotics, fintech, and language models.
This momentum is exactly why programmes like the Turing Innovation Catalyst exist. Turning Manchester’s deep technical heritage into real-world impact by equipping the next generation of founders with the expertise, networks, and support they need to scale.
Straight from the engine room
So, what have we learned through the TIC Engine Room so far? The programme is ongoing, but here’s a roundup of the last couple of sessions.
1. Learning in action – becoming NeuWave
The first meet-up was structured around introductions and pitches – getting to know the other participants, and building a stronger internal core-image of our own companies.
The session encouraged us to break our pitch apart and rebuild it with intention. Milestones that actually matter, values that guide decision-making, and metrics that reflect the kind of company we want to grow into.
Speaking this aloud, in a room full of people doing the same, made the gaps clearer and the priorities sharper. It pushed us to define our message with more precision: What are we here to change? What do we want people to associate with NeuWave the moment they hear our name?
One of the frameworks introduced in the second session used Patagonia as a case study. A company whose mission is so clearly articulated that it shapes every product and policy, the discussion centred around the power of a well-defined identity.
Patagonia shows what happens when a company understands its purpose so completely that the brand becomes a compass. Every decision points back to the mission.
That lens helped the NeuWave team to examine our own foundations. Environmental intelligence is our domain, but the session helped crystallise the values behind it:
- Transparency
- Reliability
- Accessibility
Having a clearer identity gives everything else (whether strategy, messaging, ethical or product decisions) something stable to build from.
2. Capturing the vertical with marine EI
The problems that NeuWave’s marine EI tools solve sit right at the heart of efficient offshore operations. This runs deeper into society than many may realise, affecting variable shipping costs or helping improve renewable energy ecosystems.
By pretty much any standards, NeuWave operates within a particularly specific niche. Our customers aren’t the general public; and only those in relevant, unique positions may ever even need to know that we exist.
For those that do need to know that we exist, that need is essential.
Through the TIC programme the team have been focused on answering the following core question: “How do we effectively capture the vertical” (read also: niche market).
Honestly, the answer is still a work-in-progress. But it lies in our ability to offer the most effective value proposition, and that’s something we can work with. We certainly already know the value of NeuWave innovation.
Alongside our mentors, we’re developing bespoke proposals and money-saving forecasts for each respective new customer. Rather than a generalised approach, this allows us to tap into the unique challenges and solutions of the individual projects.
It’s a small tweak, but we’re already receiving exciting external feedback.
Since joining the TIC Engine Room in early 2025, NeuWave has been immersed in a community built around clarity, experimentation, and growth. The programme has given us the space to grow with purpose.
From identity work to niche positioning, each session has shaped how we operate and what we aim to build.
With every session, NeuWave becomes more focused and more aligned with the mission we set out to deliver. We’re excited to carry this momentum into the months ahead.
See how intelligence reshapes offshore operations…
From weather-driven risk to operational bottlenecks, NeuWave gives teams the insight to act earlier and plan better. Explore the tools turning complex marine conditions into straightforward, data-led decisions.
