Top Incubators And Accelerator Of UK

The UK's dynamic tech environment has become a hub of innovation, tech incubators and accelerators are playing a vital role in the success of the startup ecosystem. They provide resources, mentorship, and funding to help young ventures grow.

How do Accelerators and Incubators work?

Startup accelerators help early-stage companies grow quickly in three to six months by providing mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities. This support helps startups accelerate their growth.

Business incubators are special programs designed to help early-stage startups turn their ideas into profitable products and services. They provide a creative workspace where founders can learn from experienced advisors, fellow entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.

Incubators provide a supportive environment for businesses to grow, with mentorship and office space provided. Accelerators, on the other hand, help startups grow faster by providing financial support and connecting them with investors. Both have their own benefits, but their different features and requirements can greatly impact a company's future.

Here is the list of top Accelerators and Incubators of the UK.

Startupbootcamp

Founded in 2010 in London by Aldo de Jong, Alex Farsett, Carsten Kolbeck, Patrick Ziou, and Ruud Hendriks, Startupbootcamp is the world’s largest network of accelerators, backed by multiple corporations. They help startups grow internationally and assist early-stage tech founders to scale their companies faster. They provide direct access to a global network of advisors, partners, and investors in related industries.

Startupbootcamp supports founders in every possible way and promotes collaboration between growing companies and established players. This helps startups pursue disruptive technologies while established companies innovate faster and stay competitive.

Since 2010, Startupbootcamp has run over 150 accelerators in over 20 countries, helping founders reach their full potential. They have supported over 1600 portfolio companies by expanding their network, providing access to capital, and avoiding common mistakes. This allows startups to achieve in three months what would normally take more than two years.

Entrepreneur First

Started in London in 2011 by Alice Bentinck and Matt Clifford, Entrepreneur First connects talented people and funds them to help them find co-founders, develop an idea, and secure investment. They focus on individuals with great potential, curiosity, and the motivation to make an impact. Their programmes help young entrepreneurs cross boundaries and build unique companies.

Entrepreneur First’s programmes bring together talented peers and assist businesses in becoming globally significant. They introduce young founders to a group of ambitious individuals who are all dedicated to building companies.

Their programmes demonstrate what is possible when surrounded by ambitious peers. They foster a shared vision for the future and connect potential co-founders. Entrepreneur First works across industries such as IT, commercial services, cleantech, IoT, edtech, agtech, AI, machine learning, big data, cybersecurity, healthtech, gaming, industrial, and life sciences.

Geovation

Geovation is an accelerator based in London, founded by Chris Parker in 2009. It helps entrepreneurs develop their ideas from the ground up and connects industry challenges to startup solutions. Geovation promotes open innovation to benefit people, the planet, and profits.

With over 1800 members from a variety of industries, their ecosystem focuses on using location data to tackle global challenges. They foster collaboration between entrepreneurs and the public and private sectors to create ventures that generate social, economic, and environmental value.

An initiative of Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry, Geovation runs an award-winning accelerator programme that has supported over 150 geospatial and property startups. These startups have raised £130 million in funding and created 2,500 jobs in the UK. Geovation Scotland, in partnership with Registers of Scotland, extends its support for innovation in Scotland’s location and property sectors.

They also use geospatial data to solve urgent industry problems. Their challenge programmes have brought together 114 teams, generated over 800 ideas, and awarded over £880,000 to turn these ideas into businesses that improve communities. Geovation believes in collaboration to solve local and global problems and promote sustainable development through the innovative use of location data.

Techstars London Accelerator

Founded in 2006 by Westley Stringfellow, David Cohen, Bradley Feld, Brad Field, Nate Schmidt, David Brown, and David Tisch, Techstars is an accelerator that helps startups around the world and across all industries get off the ground. They focus on business products, consumer products, financial services, healthcare, IT, e-commerce, AI, machine learning, and many other tech-based sectors.

Techstars has invested in over 4,000 early-stage startups, supporting over 9,000 unique founders in sectors such as healthtech, fintech, Web3, and cleantech. They assist entrepreneurs with capital, mentoring, customer acquisition, hiring talent, and choosing the right infrastructure. Techstars operates globally, with a strong presence in the United States, Canada, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Oceania, and the United Kingdom.

Founders Factory

Founded in 2015, Founders Factory is an accelerator based in London. It was founded by George Northcott, Brent Hoberman, Henry Fox, Elina Truhina, Jim Mayerle, Brooke Paul, Frederic Rombout, and Todd Whittington.

The firm supports and invests in the finance technology, health, climate, and deep technology sectors and provides venture builder support by partnering with entrepreneurs to develop new ideas and business models into companies.

Founders Factory aims to be the most influential co-founder for early-stage founders, providing access to capital, an expert operations team, a global community, and a network of industry-leading corporate partners.

Their venture studio builds, finances, and launches new ventures, while their sector-focused accelerator programmes and venture funds invest in diverse founding teams across four continents.

Since 2015, over 300 of their portfolio companies have raised $950 million in follow-on capital. Industries: AI, Beauty, Education, Media, Retail, Travel, Impact

Bethnal Green Ventures

Founded by Paul Miller in 2012, Bethnal Green Ventures is a venture capital firm based in London. They support bold founders who use technology to solve important social and environmental problems. The firm invests within the United Kingdom in sectors such as business products, consumer services, energy, healthcare, IT, mobile, SaaS, wellness, AI, and machine learning.

Bethnal Green Ventures is Europe's leading early-stage tech-for-good VC. They invest in ambitious and diverse founders looking to create a positive impact at scale. They have invested in 166 ventures and focus on recognising the potential in new ideas, not just following the impact trend but helping to create it.

Collider

Started in London in 2012 by Andy Tait, David Price, Ellen Bark-Lindhout, Mark Adams, and Rose Lewis, Collider is an accelerator focused on marketing and sales tech. They invest in top startups with traction in their home countries, helping them professionalise, grow internationally, and prepare for their first major VC round to deliver investor returns.

Collider supports influential entrepreneurs to accelerate their growth and attracts savvy angel investors who contribute more than just money. They design and deliver growth programmes for other organisations and help leading corporations integrate innovative startup technology. Collider works across the marketing, edtech, salestech, AI, and VR industries.

CyLon

Founded in 2015, Cylon is an angel group based in Witney, United Kingdom, founded by Alexander van Someren, Grace Casey, and Jonathan Luff. Cylon is Europe's top early-stage investor in security and resilience. They believe security is crucial to innovation in future technologies such as autonomous driving, digital healthcare, and smart energy systems.

Cylon focuses on investing in some of the highest-quality startups, supporting a wide range of cybersecurity technologies, from cyber skills training to identity management and threat intelligence. They invest in the information technology and cybersecurity sectors in the United Kingdom.

Pi Labs

Founded in 2014, Pi Labs is a venture capital firm based in London, United Kingdom, founded by Faisal Butt, Hugo Silva, Dominic Wilson, Mary Cribardis Singh, and Umesh Kumar. Pi Labs supports entrepreneurs who are transforming the built world to positively impact people, businesses, and the environment. They focus on early-stage investments in digital and sustainable solutions.

Since 2015, they have made over 80 investments across 15 countries through three funds and achieved 13 exits. Their portfolio aims to build a sustainable future. Pi Labs invests in sectors such as technology, climate crisis, affordability, health, building technology, AI, AR, fintech, legal technology, robotics, SaaS, VR, business resilience, sustainable cities, and diversity.

Ignite Accelerator

Founded in 2011 by Colin Willis and Paul Smith in Newcastle upon Tyne, Ignite Accelerator provides startups with support and funding for 3 to 6 months from a global network of founders, mentors, and investors. It started out as Europe's first £1 million accelerator programme, providing £100k to ten teams annually.

Ignite has expanded its programmes across the UK and Ireland, including London, Manchester, Dublin, Belfast, and more, and offers mentoring and support to accelerators worldwide. Their custom programmes focus on the needs of the group, challenging founders to validate core business assumptions and build scalable traction.

Ignite's network includes experienced entrepreneurs who provide valuable support based on their startup experiences. Programme directors and entrepreneurs are experienced founders with first-hand knowledge. Ignite Accelerator works across the software, SaaS, and mobile industries.

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