Are you a tech start up? Are you looking to scale up? Educate yourself? Network? If so, an accelerator program could provide you with the tools to do just that.

What are the benefits of Accelerator Programs?

Startup companies that leverage accelerator programs raise 44% more money than those that don’t, showing that an accelerator might be the best decision to boost your startup.

Accelerator programs provide many benefits for startups one of these is skills development, as they will teach you the skills essential to run a business. Additionally, accelerator programs will not only support you during the program but also after you leave. Accelerators also give you access to a wide range of investors that you may not have had access to before, which will help your startup grow.

As a result of these benefits, we’ve put together a roundup of exciting tech accelerator programs in the UK, that you may find beneficial

Diverse tech startup team in accelerator program

Startupbootcamp Fintech London –

Startupbootcamp Fintech London is the leading program supporting companies in the financial services industry.
This opportunity is for 10 chosen fintech companies and takes place over 3 months. It would provide the startup with hands-on mentorship from over 100 industry experts, office space in the heart of London, seed funding, and access to a global network of investors and corporate partners from across the fintech industry.
£12,863 (€15,000) in cash per company is provided to cover living expenses, and they could receive over £428,785 (€500,000) in exclusive partner deals from leading technology providers such as Amazon, HubSpot, SendGrid, and others. Resulting from this, they will then have 6-8% equity in your business.

https://www.startupbootcamp.org/accelerator/fintech-london/

Barclays Accelerator – 

Barclays London Accelerator is providing a unique opportunity to FinTech Businesses.
For 13 extraordinary weeks, the successful candidates will work alongside their peers full-time at Rise London (Europe’s largest workspace dedicated to FinTech). Additionally, they will be a part of Rise’s global community, which will provide access to a variety of FinTech workshops, events and allow them to build prototypes of their product. In the Barclays Accelerator Demo Day, the startup will have a unique opportunity to pitch to top-tier investors from around the world.

Barclays and Techstars will invest £102,908 (€120,000) and take an equity stake of 3% each. Those accepted will be eligible for Rise Growth Investments, investment capital solely focused on the companies accepted into the Barclays Accelerator program.

https://home.barclays/who-we-are/innovation/barclays-accelerator/locations/london/

Entrepreneur First – 

If your goal is to find a co-founder for your startup then Entrepreneur First is the accelerator for you.
This 6-month program aims to introduce tech startup companies to pre-vetted CEOs and CTOs who are committed to co-founding a company. They will cover living costs from day one, with a monthly stipend which you will never have to pay back. Between 50 and 100 founders will take part, providing an opportunity to connect and discover the co-founder right for the startup and business. After 3 months the startup will present their company to the Investment Committee, which is a competitive process with half of the startups not making it past this stage. If they are accepted through then they will invest £68,605 (€80,000), in return for a 10% equity stake.

https://www.joinef.com/locations/london/

a pair of tech startup employees discussing growth in acceleration program

Founders Factory – 

This 6-month accelerator program for FinTech startups is completely tailored to the startup’s needs and growth objectives. They will provide support for many areas of the business such as growth, product, fundraising, design, talent, engineering, PR, and more. The startup would receive £30k in cash in return for 4-7% equity, depending on the startup’s valuation.

https://foundersfactory.com/accelerator/fintech

The Bakery – 

The Bakery is a corporate-led accelerator that has three programs, the first is called the ‘Start Programme’ and is focused on those wanting to start a business but hasn’t yet.

The ‘Accelerate Programme’ is for startups that are in the early stage who are looking for investment and wanting mentorship and support to accelerate their business.

The ‘Partner Programme’ is for start-ups and scale-ups which are product-ready, or nearly product-ready, and looking to partner with and sell to large corporates.

This is a unique opportunity as they take startups at any stage. Resulting of this, there are options for the startups depending on how developed they are. This is an accelerator that is tailored to the startup, making it an opportunity not to miss.

In exchange for 5% equity, the startup will receive £50,000.

https://thebakery.com/start-ups-and-entrepreneurs/

Techstars – 

Techstars is often viewed as one of the world’s most successful accelerators.
While their London accelerator can be applied to by startups in the digital technology field, they tend to focus on early-stage deeptech or other sector startups. While this program is difficult to get into, once you’re in it’s worth it. Spanning over 12 weeks, the startups will network with founders, investors, and their other startup peers. In this regard, it is argued to be better than any other accelerator.

They take 13 startups and provide them with £12,863 (€15,000) in exchange for between 6% and 10% equity.

https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/london

group of tech entrepreneurs brainstorming about business

Seedcamp – 

Seedcamp is a hybrid accelerator and investor for tech startups that aim to progress a startup from an idea into a fully functioning product or service.

 This accelerator will supply the startup with opportunities to work in a space where they will be working with their peers. Additionally, it allows them to develop connections and network with the best in the business, allowing them to receive advice and guidance that could benefit their startup. This accelerator will educate the startups on how to build the product/service, to accelerate the startup’s growth.

Seedcamp will invest £200k into the startup in exchange for 6-7% equity.

https://seedcamp.com/our-startups/

Oxygen Accelerator –

Oxygen Accelerator is a 13-week program designed for technology startups.

There are three core phases to the accelerator focused on providing the startups with mentorship, advice, access to networking, investor days, office space in a collaborative environment, and they will even help you with accommodation. They do not accept solo founders, instead, they specialize in group/pair startups. They vow to always fight the startup’s corner and help raise funding, which has often been between £100,000 to £500,000.

Oxygen Accelerator will provide you with £18,000 max for 8% equity, working out to £6,000 per founder up to 3 founders with the equity figure remaining the same. However, equity will drop to 4% if you have already received £100,000 or over in investment.

http://www.oxygenaccelerator.com/

Final Thoughts

No startups are born with the funding and knowledge they need, this is why accelerators can be so invaluable. While you may have knowledge in certain areas of running a business, attending programs like these can fill in the gaps and provide further business opportunities.

We are sponsors and investors of the startup market, feeling obligated to share our own knowledge and experience. Hence, we wanted to share this list of programs that could help you to turn your startup into a business. Like us, the people involved in these programs want to give back, so take the opportunity and develop your business using an Accelerator program.

Find out how we help tech startups to tell their story and grow their business