--- title: "Must-Know UK Startup Accelerators in 2025" id: "421518" type: "post" slug: "must-know-uk-startup-accelerators-in-2025" published_at: "2025-06-09T16:34:03+00:00" modified_at: "2025-06-10T01:00:00+00:00" url: "https://seedlegals.com/resources/must-know-uk-startup-accelerators-in-2025/" markdown_url: "https://seedlegals.com/resources/must-know-uk-startup-accelerators-in-2025.md" excerpt: "Hit the gas with our list of some of the startup accelerators, incubators and bootcamps we see most frequently at SeedLegals." taxonomy_category: - "Startup Guides" - "Find Investors" --- 6 min read Expert reviewed This article has been fact-checked by a SeedLegals subject matter expert. [Meet our experts](https://seedlegals.com/authors-and-experts/) and learn more about our review process and quality assurance in our [editorial policy](https://seedlegals.com/editorial-policy/) . # Must-Know UK Startup Accelerators in 2025 Published: Jun 9, 2025 Updated: Jun 10, 2025 Contents [Top UK startup accelerators, incubators and bootcamps](#top-uk-startup-accelerators-incubators-and-bootcamps) [Accelerator Academy](#accelerator-academy) [Baltic Ventures](#baltic-ventures) [Bethnal Green Ventures](#bethnal-green-ventures) [Breathable Cities](#breathable-cities) [London & Partners Business Growth Programme​s](#london-partners-business-growth-programmes) [Entrepreneur First](#entrepreneur-first) [Hotbed](#hotbed) [NatWest Accelerator](#natwest-accelerator) [PwC scale programmes](#pwc-scale-programmes) [SETsquared](#setsquared) [Tech Nation](#tech-nation) [TechStars](#techstars) [VenturePath](#venturepath) [This is only a few of the 600+ accelerators in the UK](#this-is-only-a-few-of-the-600-accelerators-in-the-uk) [Talk to the experts](#talk-to-the-experts) [Author Suzanne Worthington Senior Writer](https://seedlegals.com/resources/author/suzanne/) Looking for a launchpad to skyrocket your business? You’re in the right place. We’re fortunate in the UK because our startup ecosystem is buzzing with some brilliant accelerator programmes. They’re all designed to set you on a course to success, turbocharge growth and connect you with a network of mentors and investors. There are hundreds of accelerators in the UK, far too many for us to create a comprehensive list. Instead, in this blog post we list some of the major players we see most frequently at SeedLegals. Ready for the rundown? Let’s get started… 🤷 What's the difference between accelerators, incubators and bootcamps? 🤔 What factors should you consider when choosing an accelerator? ✖️ What are the top mistakes to avoid when you join an accelerator? We answer these questions and more in our post: [Startup accelerators, incubators and bootcamps: what are they and how do I choose one?](https://seedlegals.com/resources/startup-accelerators/) ## Top UK startup accelerators, incubators and bootcamps This list is correct at the time of publication. New programmes emerge, existing programmes evolve or close. For the most up-to-date information, check websites or current industry databases such as [Crunchbase](https://www.crunchbase.com/search/organizations/field/hubs/org_top_investor_types/united-kingdom-accelerators/accelerator) and news-feeds such as [TechCrunch](https://www.crunchbase.com/search/organizations/field/hubs/org_top_investor_types/united-kingdom-accelerators/accelerator) . In alphabetical order: - [Accelerator Academy](#accelerator-academy) (this has become [VenturePath](#venturepath) ) - [Baltic Ventures](#baltic-ventures) - [Bethnal Green Ventures](#bethnal-green) - [Breathable Cities](#breathable-cities) - [London & Partners Business Growth Programme​s](#london) - [Entrepreneur First](#entrepreneur-first) - [Hotbed](#hotbed) - [NatWest Accelerator](#natwest) - [PwC scale programmes](#pwc) - [SETsquared](#setsquared) - [Tech Nation](#tech-nation) - [TechStars](#techstars) - [VenturePath](#venturepath) ## Accelerator Academy Accelerator Academy has rebranded to become **VenturePath**, with a focus on supporting UK scale-ups – [jump to VenturePath](#venturepath) 👇 ## Baltic Ventures [balticventures.uk](https://balticventures.uk) **Location** Liverpool, England **What they say** “Baltic Ventures is an early-stage tech accelerator based in the Baltic Triangle, Liverpool that supports game-changing founding teams who are building the solutions and businesses of tomorrow… a four-month cohort programme, including £50,000 investment, weekly workshops, VC investor meetings, and mentorship.” **Applications** Find out more and apply at the [Baltic Ventures website](https://balticventures.uk/) . ## Bethnal Green Ventures [bethnalgreenventures.com](https://www.bethnalgreenventures.com/) **Location** London **What they say** “We invest in ambitious early-stage tech for good founders. The journey of all our portfolio ventures starts on our programme. We then help you grow with further support and investment up to Series A.” **Applications** Find out more and sign up to get notified when applications are open at the [Bethnal Green Ventures website](https://www.bethnalgreenventures.com/) . ## Breathable Cities [breathablecities.com](https://breathablecities.com/) **Location** London **What they say** “Breathable Cities is the world’s biggest accelerator programme for startups tackling air pollution. The programme launched in 2023 and lasts 14 weeks, supporting 10-12 startups with a technology product or service that helps improve air quality. Last year, 11 startups were selected, raising a combined £5 million and over half are now in commercial or local authority trials.” **Applications** Breathable Cities 2024 is now under construction and interest can be registered at the [Breathable Cities website](https://breathablecities.com/) . ## London & Partners Business Growth Programme​s [grow.london](https://www.grow.london) **Location** London London & Partners operate various growth programmes for different types of companies: - **Innovate Zero** For early-stage companies scaling commercial net zero and decarbonisation solutions. - **Circular Partnerships** To catalyse partnerships between circular SMEs and public sector organisations. - **Evo Fashion** Supports fashion businesses. - **Global London** To support London’s small businesses, with a focus on underrepresented and underserved founders. - **Expand to London** For international companies bringing their business to London. - **Grow London Global** To take London-based businesses from local to global. - **Innovation Fellowship** To develop a fresh innovation strategy. **What they say** “Grow London is part of London & Partners, the business growth and destination agency for London. Our mission is to create economic growth that is resilient, sustainable and inclusive.” **Applications** Find out more about the programmes and apply at the [Grow London website](https://www.grow.london/) . ## Entrepreneur First [https://www.joinef.com](https://www.joinef.com/) **Location** London, Paris, Bangalore, San Francisco Entrepreneur First currently runs two programmes: - **Graduate** For students, recent graduates and people with less than two years of professional experience. - **Core** For early career professionals, academics and PhD graduates with two or more years of experience. **What they say** “Found, don’t follow. Entrepreneur First invests in exceptional individuals to build startups from scratch.” **Applications** EF Graduate and Core are full-time, in person, startup building programs. EF Find is a weekend-long taste of EF’s startup building programme. Find out more and apply anytime at the [EF website](https://www.joinef.com/) . ## Hotbed [hotbed.co](https://hotbed.co/) **Location**Online with some in-person events in London **What they say** “Each quarter, we host a free, bespoke 6 to 10 week programme for early stage founders: – Workshops delivered by experienced founders – Weekly opportunities to practise your pitch w/investors – Track your WoW growth – Build a peer group of by exceptional founders” **Applications** Hotbed is for founders who have already raised initial capital of at least £75,000 or have £75,000 in revenue over the past six months), and have launched a product. Find out more and register interest anytime at the [Hotbed website](https://hotbed.co/) . ## NatWest Accelerator [natwest.com/business/business-services/entrepreneur-accelerator.html](https://www.natwest.com/business/business-services/entrepreneur-accelerator.html) **Location** Across UK and Ireland **What they say** “The NatWest Accelerator supports and empowers UK entrepreneurs to scale their businesses to the next level. Our free Accelerator programme specialising in wrap-around support provides: one-to-one coaching, a programme of events, access to a network of like-minded peers, supported by our Ecosystem Managers, focused support, and use of our modern co-working spaces in one of our nationwide hubs.” **Applications** You don’t need to be a NatWest customer. Find out more and apply anytime at the [NatWest website](https://www.natwest.com/business/business-services/entrepreneur-accelerator.html) . ## PwC scale programmes **Location** London PwC current run six scale programmes: - FinTech - PropTech - InsureTech - WealthTech - AdTech - Enterprise **What they say** “If you’re in business to change the world, or your little part of it, Scale-up programmes have been designed to help you get there even quicker. During 10 weeks of working closely with you, we’ll give you access to a pipeline of new customers, new channels to market and the full benefit of our extensive network.” **Applications** Find out more and apply at the PwC website. ## SETsquared [setsquared.co.uk/support-programmes](https://www.setsquared.co.uk/support-programmes/) **Location** Southampton, operates UK-wide SETsquared currently offer these programmes: - **Student Enterprise** Programme for students thinking about starting a business and/or to gain employability skills - **ICURe** Pre-accelerator programme for researchers - **Business Acceleration** Incubator for technology start-ups with high growth potential - **Scale-Up** Support for innovative scaling SMEs - **Telecoms Support** Accelerator for high-tech telecoms companies - **Green Futures & Creative Tech** Investment and support for creative and green tech businesses in South West England - **Hydrogen & Sustainable Transport** Support for start-ups and SMEs in the clean hydrogen and sustainable transport sectors - **The FWD Project** Support for health and wellbeing businesses in the West of England - **Future Economy Programme** For companies aiming to raise public and private co-investment **What they say** “The SETsquared Partnership is a world leading business incubator and enterprise partnership comprising six research-intensive universities: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey.” **Applications** Visit the [SETsquared website](https://www.setsquared.co.uk/support-programmes/) to find out more about the programmes and when they’re open for applications. ## Tech Nation [technation.io](https://technation.io/) **Location** London Tech Nation currently have four programmes for tech entrepreneurs: - **Climate** For climate tech founders - **Libra** For underrepresented tech founders - **Future Fifty** For late-stage tech ventures - **Rising Stars** A pitch competition for early-stage startups **What they say** “Tech Nation is the leading growth platform for tech insights, connections, collaboration and talent, empowering ambitious founders and their teams with the access and knowledge they need from seed stage to success story.” **Applications** There are application deadlines for each cohort: - **Climate**: Applications closed for 2024, pre-register interest for 2025 - **Libra**: Applications closed for 2024, pre-register interest for 2025 - **Future Fifty**: Applications by invitation only - **Rising Stars 2024**: apply by 12 February 2024 Find out more and apply at the [Tech Nation website](https://technation.io/) . ## TechStars [techstars.com](https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/london) **Location**London TechStars London is a branch of the global Techstars Accelerator network and offers a structured, 13-week mentorship-driven program: **Accelerator Programme** For early-stage startups looking for intensive mentorship, access to networks, and funding opportunities. The program supports companies across various sectors, including fintech, AI, healthtech, and sustainability. **What they say**“Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. We support founders with access to capital, one-on-one mentorship, a global alumni network, and over a decade of startup-building experience.” **Applications** The London accelerator runs two cohorts annually. Startups receive initial funding, office space, and resources in exchange for equity. Applications for future classes can be submitted on the [Techstars website.](https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/london) ## VenturePath [joinventurepath.com](https://www.joinventurepath.com/) VenturePath Growth Investment Community was formerly called Accelerator Academy. **Location** UK **What they say** “Exclusively for UK tech scaleups looking to grow, raise capital and scale faster, VenturePath supports founders through personalised business growth planning, leadership learning, a trusted community of fellow founders, a vetted expert network and £6bn+ of associated VCs, all available through a private app.” **Applications** You’ll need to have headquarters in the UK, revenue of more than £1 million and intend to raise Series A or beyond. Find out more and apply at the [VenturePath website](https://www.joinventurepath.com/) . ## This is *only a few* of the 600+ accelerators in the UK Our list is correct at the time of publication. Remember, new programmes emerge and existing programmes evolve or shut down. For the most up-to-date information, check websites or current industry databases such as [Crunchbase](https://www.crunchbase.com/search/organizations/field/hubs/org_top_investor_types/united-kingdom-accelerators/accelerator) and news-feeds such as [TechCrunch](https://search.techcrunch.com/search;_ylc=X3IDMgRncHJpZANlbzh5V2Y0OVRQcWM5Mk01S0UwRXNBBG5fc3VnZwMwBHBvcwMwBHBxc3RyAwRwcXN0cmwDMARxc3RybAMxNQRxdWVyeQN1ayUyMGFjY2VsZXJhdG9ycwR0X3N0bXADMTcwNTU5OTYzNQ--?p=uk+accelerators&fr=techcrunch) . ## Talk to the experts Whether you’re hitting the accelerator, finding allies or embracing a solo journey, SeedLegals is here to support you. If you’re [hiring a team](https://seedlegals.com/legal-documents/) , [fundraising](https://seedlegals.com/raise/raise-a-round/) , [sharing equity](https://seedlegals.com/grow/share-options-scheme/) or need [legal advice](https://seedlegals.com/advisory/general-counsel/) , we can help. To get started, take a look around [our website](https://seedlegals.com/) or [book a free call](https://seedlegals.com/talk-to-an-expert/) with one of our experts. ##### SeedLegals membership ### Unlimited expert help Growing your company? Get investment ready, raise capital and hire your team with SeedLegals. Join to save thousands in discounts and perks. [Tell me more](https://seedlegals.com/pricing/) Fundraising tips from investors Insider insights from active VCs and angels. Learn how to sidestep common pitch pitfalls, and make a stellar first impression. ## Related posts [9 min read Startup accelerators, incubators and bootcamps: what are they and how do I choose one? What are the pros and cons? 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