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Erica StanfordIncubators That Could Accelerate Your Startup
Updated: Nov 16, 2021
Creating your own business is especially hard during its beginning stages. This is where Incubators come in — collaborative programs that are designed to help your startup succeed by providing workspace, seed funding, mentoring, and training.
Here are some of the most famous incubators in the United Kingdom all the way to New York and Germany:
Activate Capital
Location: London
About Activate Capital:
Programme length: 6 weeks
This intensive programme, called ‘The Startup Lab’, provides over £30k worth of value in helping entrepreneurs to develop their idea into something investor-ready and full of potential
The mentors will drive core principles such as purpose, vision, value, design, and product development
This incubator also has an accelerator and seed investment fund of £100k for successful applicants who have completed the incubator and wish to continue their growth journey with Activate Capital
Bethnal Green Ventures
Location: London
About Bethnal Green Ventures:
Europe’s leading early-stage ‘tech for good’ VC
Focus on socially-positive tech startups
Has backed 141 ventures in 9 years
Members of Bethnal Green Ventures’ portfolio have gone on to raise another £98m in funding
CyLon
Location: London
About Cylon:
Programme length: 3 months
Offers training and mentorship to Europe’s most promising cybersecurity entrepreneurs, perfect for the crypto world!
There is a professional curriculum, loads of support from mentors, and personal guidance
At the end of the 3-month programme is ‘Demo Day’, which gives participants the chance to present and pitch their products and progress to potential investors
The incubator space also helps existing cybersecurity companies to grow and develop into something bigger through expert mentorship and a high-quality network.
FFWD
Location: London (through currently delivered online due to Covid-19)
About FFWD:
The UK’s leading pre-accelerator incubator
An incubator designed to validate entrepreneurs’ minimum viable products
Programme length: Dynamic day events spread over 6 weeks
Designed for: Early-stage tech entrepreneurs
Applies: Lean Startup methods, the application of Design Thinking, and mentoring from expert coaches
Aims to: Validate the minimum viable product, raise some pre-seed funding, and provide access or support applications to the top accelerators in the UK
Hatch Enterprise
Location: London
About Hatch Enterprise:
Programme length: 12 weeks
Hatch Enterprise actually offers a full-run service, with a 6-week long launchpad, a 12-week incubator, and a 16-week accelerator (for female founders)
Entrepreneurs at different stages of their business development will find a good home at Hatch Enterprise, especially with the incubator, which focuses specifically on growth during the early-stages of your business journey
Features:
Interactive workshops, expert speakers, and considerate mentors to provide the theory
Those who join Hatch Enterprise become part of the community and alumni, a value resource in South London, especially for events, contacts, and skill swaps
Imperial Innovations
Location: London
About Imperial Innovations:
Programme length: 6 weeks
Offered: Access to a free office and laboratory for early-stage businesses
Facility: a state-of-the-art two-storey enormous incubators facility with 12 labs, 22 offices, meeting rooms, and 24,000ft of opportunity
Also known as ‘White City Incubator’
Two different incubators offered, the ‘White City Innovators’ Programme’ which is specifically for tech startups, and the ‘Innovation Academy’ designed to help entrepreneurs build and grow their ideas
The White City Innovators’ Programme is well-suited to blockchain and cryptocurrency startups, however in 2020/2021, the programme is on hold as the research teams at the labs have committed to volunteering their skills in support of the pandemic recovery
IncuBus
Location: London
About Incubus:
Programme length: 12 weeks
This incubator programme is hosted on top of a double-decker London bus!
IncuBus is a collaborative effort from YCombinator and Techstars alumni, giving back to the startup community by helping them raise investment and apply for the world’s best accelerators
Included: Mentors, workshops and free desk space
Tech City Tub
Location: London - Bank & Bethnall Green
About Tech City Tub:
Programme length: variable
A less hands-on approach to incubation, the Tech City Tub is more of a coworking space and think tank where entrepreneurs can access subsidised desk space and plenty of free professional services from as little as £55pppm
The management do offer bursaries to qualifying individuals
Launched back in 2016, the space has grown to offer 40 open workspace desks, 9 private studios, 6 meeting rooms, and 2 breakout spaces
Incubation is driven by the community of ‘Bathroom to Boardroom’ entrepreneurs
The Bakery
Location: London (Dalston)
About The Bakery:
An incubator designed to help small startups acquire large companies as their clients. This is achieved by finding the business challenges of their large corporate partners and developing early-stage companies to solve those problems and offer sustainable solutions
The Startup Programme: a tech incubator for pre-idea entrepreneurs in the B2B space
Launched in 2013, the programme has helped over 5,000 entrepreneurs around the world and offers access to large corporate clients including Unilever, BMW, and Eurostar
Targeted sectors:
Finance, Healthcare, Consultancy, Automotive, Food & Beverage, and FMCG
Here are a couple of non-UK incubators that we can recommend:
Consensys Mesh
Location: Global, predominantly New York
About Consensys Mesh:
Founded in 2015
Incubator, investor, software provider, and educator based around the Ethereum blockchain and network
The venture studio recently split, with Consensys Mesh becoming a separate entity from Consensys, allowing it to thrive independently of its primary software business focus
Targeted businesses:
Web 3, open-source tools, new protocols, blockchain development and innovation
Catena Capital
Location: Berlin, Germany
About Catena Capital:
Continental Europe’s best blockchain-specific incubator
Invests in early-stage blockchain projects
Targeting:
Marketplaces, KYC solutions, Crypto education projects, Proptech, Blockchain scalability, Identity management, AdTech, and Community products
Offers:
Seed funding up to $250k, growth resources up to $250k, individual mentoring, and office space
10 intakes per year globally, and can be remote, not necessarily in Berlin