NatWest has announced plans to dramatically expand its accelerator community, with the aim of supporting 50,000 entrepreneurs across the UK in 2026 – a fivefold increase on its 2025 target.
The move follows a banner year for the program, in which the bank supported around 12,000 founders. This number exceeds the total number of entrepreneurs the Accelerator has supported overall over the past decade, highlighting the rapid acceleration in both scale and impact.
The expansion is part of NatWest’s new five-point Growing Together plan, which sets out how the bank will support long-term growth in the UK. The strategy focuses on supporting the regional economy, supporting medium-sized businesses, strengthening infrastructure and housing, improving financial confidence for families and young people, and supporting the innovators who are shaping the economy of the future.
NatWest said it believes banks have a role to play that goes beyond providing finance, using their regional footprint, expertise and convening power to bring together businesses, communities and policymakers to help address structural barriers to growth and increase productivity across the UK.
At the heart of the expansion is the NatWest Accelerator community, built on peer networks, local cohorts and access to expert mentors, investors and technical support. The program is designed to support young and high-growth companies in starting, scaling and building resilience.
Data published by the bank shows the impact of the program on participating companies. Companies that completed the accelerator increased their revenue by an average of 104 percent year-over-year, compared to 20 percent growth in a control group. Additionally, nine out of 10 accelerator companies were still trading three years later, compared to fewer than half in the control group.
Robert Begbie, CEO of Commercial & Institutional Banking at NatWest Group, said the expanded ambitions reflected the bank’s confidence in the effectiveness of the program.
“We know that to build the economy of the future, we must support the innovators who will power it,” he said. “Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind innovation, job creation and long-term economic growth across the UK. By raising our ambition for 2026, we are reinforcing our commitment to supporting founders at every stage – from idea to expansion – and helping them turn their ambitions into sustainable success.”
The commitment was welcomed by government and business groups. Small Business Minister Blair McDougall said the announcement reflected the type of practical support needed to unlock the potential of small businesses across the country, while Enterprise Nation CEO Aaron Asadi described NatWest as unrivaled among banks in its support for British entrepreneurs.
Shevaun Haviland, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, added that the expansion of the accelerator would give more founders access to the advice and peer networks they need to grow with confidence.
As part of the expansion, NatWest will continue to expand its network of accelerator hubs and university partnerships on campus. The bank has already established hubs in collaboration with universities including Manchester, Oxford, York, Brighton and Warwick and plans to establish hubs at up to ten universities over the next three years.
The Accelerator also offers structured growth journeys through its UK hub network and through the NatWest Accelerator app, and is partnering with Google to provide access to digital tools, training and expertise. Pitch events and startup forums across the UK offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their business, build networks and gain access to funding.
One company benefiting from the program is Leeds-based production company Mood Films, which was founded in 2024 after evolving from a long-standing mentor-mentee relationship to a creative partnership. After joining the NatWest Accelerator, the founders received access to co-working spaces, one-on-one coaching and workshops on financing, sales, marketing and future planning.
Louis Jones, co-founder and cinematographer at Mood Films, said the program helped the team evolve from filmmakers learning the ropes of business to confident founders with a clear understanding of scaling.
“Joining the NatWest Accelerator was one of the best decisions we have ever made for our company,” he said. “The support has helped us understand every area of the business and given us the confidence to grow now and in the future.”
