Top 20 Startup Accelerators and Incubators in the UK [2023]

The UK has a long history of innovation and entrepreneurship, producing globally recognized brands like Rolls Royce and Cadbury. The UK government supports startups through initiatives such as digital groups, accelerators and incubators. In this article, we take a look at 20 of the best UK-based accelerators and incubators for startups in 2023

1. Insurgent Gateway

InsurTech Gateway is a non-profit organization that provides support for InsurTech startups. It was created by the UK government to help develop the insurtech sector, which is gaining popularity around the world.

The InsurTech Gateway was launched in 2019 and is funded by industry members, as well as its parent company, Innovate Finance. The goal of this accelerator program is to help InsurTechs create innovative products or services that meet the needs of customers within insurance companies.

Insurtechs can apply for funding at any time during their development process, including when they start or after coming up with an idea for a new product or service. Funding at these stages will help them create test prototypes; finding new markets; improve existing products; create partnerships with other companies; test their ideas on real clients; and more!

2. Zinc

Zinc is a business accelerator that helps startups grow, scale and succeed. Zinc has a network of over 2,000 mentors who are experts in their field. The company also has a community of over 1,000 founders and investors.

Zinc offers three key services:

• Acceleration – Zinc provides intensive mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and investors to help early-stage companies with their product development or customer acquisition strategies.
• Funding – Zinc will invest up to £30,000 in your business if you are selected under the program which runs over 12 weeks in one of its locations (London or Edinburgh). There are also no equity requirements to this investment, so it’s worth applying even if you don’t need financing!
• Accelerator LaunchPad – If your idea isn’t ready for full acceleration yet but needs some help getting started, this might be the program for you!

3. Setsquared

SetSquared is a non-profit organization that supports the growth of startups and entrepreneurs in the UK. It was launched in 2000 by the UK government as one of its national regional science parks, and is one of the largest and most successful incubator programs in the UK.

SetSquared was created with a mission to create more high growth businesses in the South West of England, where there is a gap to other areas such as London or Scotland. As part of its strategy, it has established close relationships with local universities, including Bath University and Bristol University; This facilitates collaboration on research projects that can benefit both parties.

4. incubate

Incubate is a UK-based startup accelerator, founded in 2011 by Mike Soutar and Rob Lewis. Incubate has been described as “the best of the best” by SeedCamp, Europe’s leading startup accelerator network. He has also been a member of the European Accelerator Network since its inception in 2014, and he is currently part of the SeedCamp network.

The accelerator typically accepts between eight and 10 startups per cohort, offering each an investment of up to £40,000 plus office space for three months (during which they develop their product). The program culminates in an Investor Day where attendees introduce investors from across Europe who are looking for new companies with high growth potential.

5. Innovate

Innovify is a leading early-stage investor in European technology startups. We invest in the most innovative and disruptive technologies, including AI, FinTech, Medtech and Cybersecurity.

We have offices in London, Berlin and Paris.

6. The rattle

The Rattle is a UK-based accelerator program for early-stage startups. The Rattle offers a 12-week accelerator program for early-stage startups the opportunity to receive mentorship from investors and founders across the global tech ecosystem. It helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses, network and connect with investors through events run by its network partners.

It is supported by over 700 mentors who have experience in areas including payments, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, fintech and blockchain technology. Its programs include:

• The Future Founder Fund – £100m fund focused on investing in early-stage tech companies
• Founders Circle – £1m fund with up to 25% equity investment in founding teams that demonstrate significant potential but are still too early for traditional venture capital funding

7. Founders Forum

What is the Founders Forum?

Founders Forum is one of the UK’s most innovative start-up accelerators and is housed in a converted warehouse on New Oxford Street. It was founded in 2013 by Entrepreneur First (EF), who has invested in over 200 startups and helped raise over 0 million for his businesses. Since its inception, Founders Forum has been designed to create opportunities for young entrepreneurs and help them grow their business. The accelerator focuses on providing mentorship, funding, office space and workshops from successful entrepreneurs such as Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple) and Mike Lynch (co-founder of Autonomy Corporation). There are five cohorts each year with between 15 and 20 startups per cohort receiving support from EF as well as external investors such as Mangrove Capital Partners or Index Ventures.

8. mom incubators

Mom Incubators is a UK-based startup accelerator and incubator. It offers both physical and virtual programs focused on early-stage startups. The company has invested in over 100 companies since its inception, which includes many of Europe’s most important startups, including Wag.

Mom’s current portfolio includes over 60 companies based in several countries, including the UK, Belgium, France and Germany. It operates from three locations: Manchester; London; and Brussels (Belgium). The company also partners with Microsoft to provide access to Microsoft Cloud Services such as Azure for startups that are part of its portfolio.

9. Nonstop

Non-stop is a UK-wide accelerator program that helps startups scale and grow their businesses.

Non-stop provides a range of services to startups, including funding, mentoring, networking, and offices.

Along with this non-stop, there is also an excellent portfolio of case studies that cover all aspects of the business including; Revenue generation, monetization strategies and product launches.

10. Startups.co.uk

Startups.co.uk is a community for startups in the UK, run by Startups.co.uk Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number 06738402). We’re here to help you find out about the latest startup news, events, funding, and jobs across the country.

In addition to our website, we also have an active social media presence on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, please follow us for more updates!

11. Welsh ice cream

Welsh ICE is a government-funded organization that supports the growth of technology companies in Wales. It provides funding and support to early stage businesses, as well as offering office space in its offices in Cardiff. The firm has a network of over 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors and advisors across all industries, including digital media, life sciences and clean technology companies. It has invested over £50m in Welsh businesses since 2001 through its various funds.

Welsh Ice runs several programs that aim to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses:

• Seed Fund – Provide seed capital via equity investment or debt financing to innovative new companies with strong potential for sustainable growth
• Venture Capital Funds – Invest in early stage high potential technology companies seeking venture capital funding on a selective basis
• Growth Capital Fund – Provide mid-term growth capital for established technology SMEs for working capital requirements

12. Quare Ideas

IdeasQuare is a leading provider of innovation and technology solutions for the insurance industry. We help our clients build their business, improve their customer experience and enable them to compete in an increasingly digital world.

Ideasquare was recognized as one of Europe’s Top 20 Fastest Growing Companies by Deloitte Fast 500 EMEA 2019 and Most Promising Insurance Tech Startup Worldwide via InsurTech Innovation Awards 2018 & 2019.

13.Sunstone Communication Ltd

Sunstone is a leading digital agency, specializing in helping businesses grow online. With offices in Cardiff and London, Sunstone has over 20 years of experience working with some of Wales’ most successful businesses to improve their online presence and increase sales.

Sunstone offers a full range of services from website design and development, content management systems (CMS), email marketing automation tools, platform configuration and design. form of e-commerce to SEO optimization services.

14. Global Enterprise Capital Summit

Venture Capital World Summit is a global event for the VC community. The event is organized by the Venture Capital Network (VCN), which has worked in the UK and Europe since 2000. They are a network of over 1000 fund managers, investors, entrepreneurs, CEOs and others involved in professional venture capital.

The one-day conference and exhibition is taking place at Olympia London on April 25, 2019. It will feature panel discussions with leading industry experts including David Hose – CEO at Index Ventures; John Frankel – partner in FF Venture Capital; Alex Zettle – Vice President of Europe at Microsoft Ventures; Mike Brown CBE – Co-Founder and Partner of Earlybird Venture Capital; Chris Mills CBE – Managing Director of Tech City UK; Andrew Reece CBE – Chairman of Tech Nation & Co-founder and CEO of London & Partners

15. Innovationrca

InnovationRCA is a business accelerator that helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses by providing mentorship, training and funding. It was founded in 2003 by Dr Niamh Boyle and her husband Andrew.

The company has three locations: London, Dublin and Glasgow.

16. Blank Startup

Virgin Startup is a UK-based accelerator that funds, mentors and supports early-stage tech startups.

It supports startups in the UK and Ireland.

It offers 0,000 in funding, as well as mentorship and networking opportunities.

17. Start Codon

Start Codon is a UK-based accelerator that supports early-stage technology companies. Start Codon is one of the UK’s most respected and well-known accelerators, with over 70 companies backed by them. In addition to investing, they also provide support in areas such as talent acquisition and data science that can help your business grow faster than you otherwise could.

Start Codon has invested in over 70 companies, with a portfolio worth over £1 billion!

18. Sunderland Software City

Sunderland Software City is a partnership of businesses, universities and public sector organizations that aims to create a new generation of software companies in the city. The project was set up as an independent not-for-profit partnership in February 2005, with the aim of becoming England’s first software city by 2022.

As well as being based in Sunderland, members work together to share knowledge and resources so they can learn from each other and grow their businesses faster than they could alone.

19. Cloud

SeedCloud is a leading accelerator in the UK and Ireland. The accelerator helps startups grow their businesses by giving them access to mentors, investors, and a community of entrepreneurs. SeedCloud has helped over 50 companies raise over million in funding since its launch in 2016.

SeedCloud offers all startups office space for up to nine months, mentorship from an experienced team of industry professionals, access to investors, and other resources needed to build successful businesses.

20. Bayezian

Bayezian is a member of the Bayezian Group, which is a leading provider of technology services to the insurance industry. The company provides a wide range of services, including data analysis, customer relationship management (CRM), complaints handling and fraud detection.

Bayezian was founded in 2013 by investment banker Ali Bayezian and his brother Akbar Bayezian. The company is headquartered in London, but has operations around the world, including offices in Dubai and Houston.

Conclusion

That’s it for our top 20 startup accelerators and incubators in the UK. As we mentioned earlier in the post, there are plenty of other programs that didn’t make our list (perhaps because they didn’t meet our strict criteria). We hope you found this information useful and can use it as a starting point for your own research into what will work best for your business!