The NatWest Accelerator empowers UK entrepreneurs with expert-led coaching, networking, and tailored support to scale their businesses. Delivered in person and online, the programme fosters communities of ambitious entrepreneurs through networking events, workshops, and coaching sessions. It is supported by 12 Accelerator hubs, which provide access to ecosystem partners, customers, and a comprehensive events programme, including funding and investor readiness workshops. Participants also benefit from the Carbon Planner, a free digital tool helping businesses manage operational costs and reduce their carbon footprint. The programme is further strengthened by NatWest’s Enterprise team, which provides coaching, networks, and amplification of the Government’s Help to Grow: Management initiative.

The programme has continued to support entrepreneurs at scale, with 1,283 participants to date, including 56% female founders and 20% from ethnic minority backgrounds. In recent years, NatWest has engaged over 45,000 individuals and businesses through its enterprise initiatives, generating around 300,000 customer interactions to help start, run, and grow businesses. Building on the strong March 2024 intake of 861 businesses, the most recent cohort has seen the Accelerator significantly expand its reach, offering up to 2,500 spaces for ambitious entrepreneurs across the UK.

The main pillars of the programme focus on four key areas: Funding, equipping entrepreneurs with expert guidance to identify and secure investment, alongside funding readiness workshops designed for high-growth businesses; Selling, enhancing sales capabilities through coaching in dealmaking, negotiation, and market expansion; Leading, developing leadership skills, fostering a growth mindset, and helping entrepreneurs build strong, high-performing teams; and Belonging, creating a dynamic entrepreneurial community through a virtual network and nationwide co-working spaces that provide peer support and collaboration opportunities.

In 2025, the NatWest Accelerator entered a new phase of expansion. The launch of the Accelerator App extended access to content, coaching, and mentor networks nationwide, supporting a hybrid delivery model that enhances inclusion and flexibility. The 12 Accelerator hubs continued to anchor regional activity, while plans were announced to partner with up to ten UK universities over the next three years to launch new business accelerators that draw on local strengths and academic expertise. Strategic partnerships deepened, including a flagship initiative with Google to help entrepreneurs adopt AI tools responsibly, alongside Funding and Sales Accelerators supporting investment and supply chain readiness. A £1 million Accelerator Pitch Fund was also launched, with £200,000 already awarded to six high-potential businesses to drive growth and innovation. By the end of 2025, the Accelerator had exceeded its goal of welcoming over 10,000 individuals into its entrepreneurial community, maintaining its commitment to inclusive support for female and ethnic minority founders.

“Thanks to the coaching, mentoring and support that we’ve received through the accelerator we have now completed two funding rounds, created a product loved by global companies, and assembled a team who will help us achieve our ambition of changing the way the world exercises.”  – Phil Steele, Co-Founder, GoJoe

NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator website