NatWest and University of York launch Accelerator Hub

NatWest and the University of York have co‑launched a new business Accelerator, creating a central platform to bring together founders, investors, policymakers and partners and strengthen York and North Yorkshire’s innovation‑led economy.

Based at the University of York’s Innovation Centre, the Accelerator will support spinouts, startups and scaling companies in sectors such as biotech, advanced manufacturing and clean energy. It will offer specialist coaching, access to finance and investor networks, and support to attract external investment into York and North Yorkshire, helping businesses commercialise ideas and grow in the region.

The hub forms part of a wider, connected pathway that enables founders to start, scale and stay in York.

Co‑designed by the University of York and NatWest, the Accelerator brings together NatWest’s established Accelerator blueprint, investor network and growth expertise with the University’s research excellence, talent pipeline and deep regional relationships. It complements the University’s existing enterprise programmes, ensuring that students, researchers, alumni and local businesses can all access tailored support on campus.

The Accelerator was officially launched yesterday, bringing together founders, investors, civic leaders and partners from across York and North Yorkshire’s innovation community. The event underscored the region’s ambition to become a powerhouse for innovation‑led growth and entrepreneurship, and highlighted how collaboration between business, finance and universities can turn cutting‑edge ideas into high‑value companies and jobs. The partnership is also designed to ensure that entrepreneurship is accessible to all, providing the tools, networks and confidence for individuals from all backgrounds to start and grow a business.

As companies progress through the Accelerator, clients will be able to connect with NatWest’s new Venture Banking proposition, giving them access to specialist venture banking expertise, investor networks and ecosystem partners to help them scale their innovations across the UK and beyond.

Speakers included University of York’s pro‑vice‑chancellor for Enterprise, Partnerships and Engagement Professor Kiran Trehan, head of NatWest Accelerator Darren Pirie, and NatWest’s chief marketing officer Margaret Jobling. Attendees also heard from three local founders in a pitch competition, seeking to win investment in their businesses.

The new Accelerator reflects a wider confidence in York and North Yorkshire as a place to innovate and invest. With a world-class university, strengths in sectors from bioeconomy and advanced manufacturing to rail and clean energy, and a growing devolution footprint, the region is increasingly seen not just as a base, but as a source of new technologies, high‑value firms and skilled jobs. The Accelerator can be accessed via its app, which is free to download and use.

The launch forms part of NatWest Group’s wider ‘Growing Together’ plan to drive long-term UK economic growth by backing innovators and building stronger regional economies. It also aligns with the bank’s £20 billion, ten-year commitment to support investment across the North of England, reinforcing its role as a long-term partner to businesses, communities and regional stakeholders. In York and North Yorkshire, this builds on a shared ambition with the University and regional partners to strengthen the conditions for innovation-led growth - helping more businesses to start, scale and secure investment in the region.

Blair McDougall, Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation, said: “This new Accelerator is exactly the kind of partnership we need to support the next generation of high-growth businesses, to start, scale and stay in York and North Yorkshire.
“Through our Plan for Small Business, we’re making sure entrepreneurs across the UK have the backing they need to turn their bright ideas into thriving businesses, driving job creation, innovation and regional growth.”

Darren Pirie, head of accelerator at NatWest, said: “York and North Yorkshire have the ideas and the talent, this new Accelerator is here to add the firepower.

“York brings together everything we look for in a long‑term partner location: a globally recognised, leading university, strengths in sectors like bioeconomy, rail and clean energy, and a connected region that wants growth to reach towns, villages and coastal communities as well as the city centre.

“Together with the University of York, we’re giving ambitious founders the backing, connections and confidence to scale world‑class businesses in the North, not somewhere else.

“We strongly believe in the entrepreneurial heritage and potential of the region and through this partnership aim to create the conditions for innovation to flourish and for high‑potential businesses to grow and succeed in the North.”

Professor Kiran Trehan, pro-vice-chancellor for Enterprise, Partnerships and Engagement at the University of York, added: “We’ve launched the Hub in partnership with NatWest Accelerator because we both believe in the incredible ideas coming out of our region, and we agree that starting a business should be an option for everyone, no matter what their background.

“By bringing together NatWest Accelerator’s national reach and our University's research and deep local roots, we’re setting up a support system tailored for everyone – from student founders to small and medium local businesses. It’s already so exciting to see a community of entrepreneurs growing around the hub, and we can’t wait to watch that network continue to build. York and North Yorkshire have extraordinary talent and we, as a university for public good, have a responsibility to make sure that talent has every reason to stay, grow, and invest right here.”

Maisy Whitehead, a young entrepreneur, student at the University of York and co-founder of VegoPak, has accessed early support from the Accelerator. She said: “I am incredibly excited about the University of York becoming home to the NatWest Accelerator Hub. Having access to experienced mentors, industry expertise and a network of likeminded entrepreneurs is invaluable when building and scaling a business.

“Programmes like this provide founders with the guidance, support and confidence needed to turn innovative ideas into successful ventures. It also reinforces York's growing reputation as a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, creating more opportunities for students and local businesses.

NatWest’s Accelerator is one of the UK’s leading communities for entrepreneurs, currently supporting more than 20,000 members through a network of 14 hubs across the UK and a digital platform, with an ambition to grow this to 50,000. With a proven track record of helping businesses grow faster and more sustainably than their peers, the Accelerator plays a key role in supporting innovation and economic development across the UK.

NatWest is encouraging any entrepreneur or small business owner building a business anywhere in North Yorkshire, and ready to grow, to join the NatWest Accelerator community today at natwest.com/accelerator.