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Programme

NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator [2020 Annual Review]

Infrastructure

Impact for scaleups

907

Scaling businesses (1,638 overall)

£131m

Investment across 2,187 raises

73

NPS across all events

43%

Female entrepreneurs

18%

BAME entrepreneurs

1,019

Jobs created

Key sectors

Impact ventures / Social Impact Life Sciences & Biotech Building & Construction Manufacturing / Advanced Manufacturing Creative, digital, film, games & media Professional services Defence & security Technology & Communications Engineering / Advanced Engineering Transport & Logistics Environmental Science & Technology Farming, fisheries & forestry Finance Food & drink Healthcare

NatWest delivers this programme in 12 accelerator hubs in normal times but during the pandemic pivoted to a fully digital offering. Committed to supporting customers through these uncertain times, the programme continues to focus on three pillars: Environment, Coaching and Network. 

Currently delivered via Zoom through 12 virtual Hubs, entrepreneurs are offered networking events, digital workshops and significantly 1 to 1 and 1 to many coaching sessions to help them to grow their business. Content is based around the five barriers to growth identified by the ScaleUp Institute. This year more than 6,136 hours of coaching have been provided, with 4,400 of those hours since April.

New events have been created to respond to the current challenges presented by Covid-19, such as Developing a Remote Culture, Wellbeing, Pivoting & Diversifying your Business Model and Entrepreneurial Leadership – Responding to Change. 

The move to digital enabled NatWest to offer a place on the Accelerator to 26% more entrepreneurs. Since April around 34,000 participants have attended 800 digital events with an average NPS of 73. 

The Next Level programme for the most promising scaleups has been further developed to support 112 super high-growth scaleups. The current cohort reflects the impact of the Accelerator and how the programme is attracting top performers – the average turnover and team size grew by 107% and 27% respectively between the April 2019 and April 2020 cohorts. 

Elements of this specialist programme include a planned national ignition event bringing together the founders, CEOs and MDs of these 112 businesses, weekly Zoom calls on a regional basis for peer support and to share best practice and exclusive issues-led events facilitated by industry experts.

NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator [2020 Annual Review] website