The Furnace

Furnace is a six‑month, fully funded tech incubator based at Barnsley’s Digital Media Centre (DMC), designed to support entrepreneurs with early-stage ideas or emerging tech startups. The programme offers more than £6,000 worth of support per business, including free workspace, access to specialist facilities and a structured development journey. Participants join a collaborative community of founders and innovators, benefiting from introductions to legal experts, experienced entrepreneurs, investors and technical specialists who help shape and strengthen their business ideas.

Startups receive access to the DMC’s MakerLab, where they can prototype, test and refine products, as well as to the CreatorLab, which provides audio‑visual tools for marketing, branding and content creation. The programme is flexible, allowing founders to begin at any time, and aims to create a supportive environment where participants can learn from peers, build networks and gain confidence in scaling their ventures.

Throughout the six months, the team curates mentoring, workshops and networking opportunities, bringing the right expertise to each founder at the right moment. After completing the programme, businesses continue to receive aftercare support to help maintain momentum and integrate into the wider tech community. Furnace ultimately aims to spark innovation and contribute to a growing pipeline of successful tech companies in Barnsley and beyond.

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