While the first-ever business accelerator is commonly agreed to have been established in the United States towards the latter half of the 1950s, it still took the next two decades for the concept to become properly embraced. Indeed, it was only in the ’90s that incubators emerged, meaning that between the two models, emerging startups would be able to find support at different stages of their journies.
Across the pond, however, the UK’s first incubators and accelerators started to crop up in the ’80s, many of which were somehow associated with British universities and academics who had links to funding geared at research and development.
UK-Based Accelerators and Incubators
Today, the environment for accelerators and incubators in the UK is considered to be robust, both in the public and private sectors, with a focus on fintech, tech and AI-driven startups.
Of course, the presence of accelerators and incubators in the country – with a specific concentration in London – makes the UK attractive to new startups and other innovative companies.
These days, the accelerator and incubator scene has grown significantly, with plenty of companies offering successful applicants funding, mentorship and more in exchange for equity.
Here are some of the top accelerators and incubators in the UK.
1. Seedcamp
Seedcamp, founded in 2007, is largely considered one of the UK’s first-ever accelerator investment firms, and to this day, it’s based in London.
Over a period of about 17 years, give or take, Seedcamp has founded and invested in more than 260 different startups in the UK, a few of the most notable of which include Revolut, TransferWise and Hopin.
Generally speaking, Seedcamp offers £100,000 investment in exchange for 7.5% equity for startup applicants who are successful.
2. Activate Studio
Looking to invest in businesses focused on information technology, health tech and gaming sectors, Activate Studio is based in London and was founded in 2016.
Having made 11 investments so far, the accelerator is still in its relative infancy, but the company’s model allows it to go beyond financial funding. Applicants who are successful will also receive extensive support in building their minimum viable product (MVP) and ensuring that they can achieve a good market fit.
With regards to funding, however, Activate Studio runs a standard six-week programme during which applicants have the opportunity to raise £50,000 in exchange for equity.
3. Entrepreneur First
Entrepreneur First is a leading incubator in the UK that was founded in 2011 and has had more than 3,000 entrepreneurs and businesses join the programme over the years.
With a particular focus on technology companies, Entrepreneur First offers successful applicants a six-month paid programme during which entrepreneurs can test their ideas, raise capital and potentially find co-founders and other useful connections.
Although the incubator was founded in London, it now has offices and runs programmes in several other major cities around the world. Successful entrepreneurs have the potential to raise the equivalent of $100,000 in exchange for a 10% equity share should they complete the programme successfully.
Normally, about 10% of applicants are successful in their applications to join the programme, and their most notable investment so far was Tractable.
4. Hot Bed
A fairly recent accelerator, Hot Bed was founded in 2021 and is based in Lingfield in the UK. One of the primary beliefs behind the running of Hot Bed is the company’s intention to make funding more accessible to smaller, less well-known businesses.
Working with both pre-seed and seed stage companies, Hot Bed is “sector agnostic”, as they say – that is, they fund companies regardless of the industry they’re in.
5. Techstars London
Easily one of the biggest accelerators in the world – not only in the UK – Techstars London was founded in the UK in 2006, although it has branches all over the world.
Techstars is another business that invests in startups across industries, from advanced manufacturing and infrastructure to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
This large accelerator invests in more than 500 different startups around the world every year, allowing them to join one of their three-month-long accelerator programmes. This involves a $120K investment along with mentorship and access to their network of alumni.
6. OneDay
OneDay is a slightly unusual type of startup accelerator that allows entrepreneurs to achieve a fully accredited MBA by means of successfully launching a business.
Led by a group of experienced founders, participants receive one-on-one mentorship and support throughout the programme as well as access to a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. The programme also includes a lot of practical and logistical advances, from business planning to sales and marketing.
7. Wayra UK
Wayra is a platform that focuses on helping startups grow by means of contributing venture capital and an open innovation platform among industry leaders.
Founded in 2012, Wayra UK invests in appropriate companies across the United Kingdom, providing not only financial investment but also strategic and networking support.
8. SETSquared
Based in Southampton in the UK, SETSquared is a relatively old incubator, having been founded in 2001.
The company is an intermediary that acts as a collaboration between a few significant universities in the area, including Surrey, Exeter, Bath, Bristol and Southampton. He firm collectively supports the growth and success of new business opportunities by providing them with spinouts, licensing and incubation.
Mostly, SETSquared support high-tech startups by means of a business incubation programme that provides startups with raining programmes, mentorship and networking with experts and investors.
9. Founders’ Institute
Considered one of the UK’s top startup accelerators, the Founder Institute is a pre-seed accelerator inviting both solo founders and co-founders to get involved. This may be those looking for pre-seed funding or even those who are still in the idea stage.
The Founder Institute is now present in more than 200 cities and in addition to seed capital, this accelerator also offers access to a top-notch network of mentors and alumni.
Having become involved in more than 5,000 companies since its inception, this accelerator has put forward a total of $1 billion of funding so far, with Udemy and TravelCar as two of its most notable investments.
10. Tech Nation
Launched in 2011, Tech Nation is a technology-focused accelerator and incubator programme based in London.
Having made 332 investments to date, this company has a particular focus in AI, fintech, infrastructure, climate technology and cyber tech.
11. Bethnal Green Ventures
Bethnal Green Ventures is an early-stage incubator and venture capital investment firm based in London. Having funded a total of 141 different startups to date, the accelerator and incubator offers successful candidates £30,000 investment in return for 6% equity.
The company’s focus is on particularly ambitious founders that are making use of technology to tackle significant social and environmental problems in an effort to improve the lives others all around the world.
So far, a total of £98m has been raised through Bethnal Ventures.
12. Founders’ Factory
Founders Factory was established to help startups in the early stages achieve rapid growth by sustainable means. It offers a network of world-class mentors, angel funding, technology development and so-called “lean acceleration”.
Founders Factory has offices all over the world, and the accelerator funds companies across industries, including retail, fintech, travel, AI and more.
So far, the company has funded more than 200 different startups, and 45 startups have been founded under their guidance.
