Backing the next
generation of founders.

Every great company started as a young person with an idea and no one to back it. We're the ones who back it, giving exceptional founders the space, teaching, network and capital to build something real. The UK's largest student startup accelerator.

Since launching in 2025
100
Startups accelerated
£18.5k
Invested on pitch day
3,000+
Watched live online
#1
Student accelerator, UK
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Half of Gen Z already run a side hustle. Most graduates can't find work. The talent is there, the backing isn't. So we became the people who back it: spotting exceptional young founders early, and building them into companies.

A mentor talking with founders at the StudentVenture showcase
How we're different

We back the founder,
not the idea.

Most programmes bet on a pitch. We bet on people, the idea will always pivot, but the founder is what stays. So we back you, and take you from zero to one.

01
Founder-firstWe prioritise the person over the plan, because the best founders outlast their first idea.
02
Free & UK-wideNo fees, no equity to apply. Online, with coworking spaces across the country.
03
Real capital & networkTeaching, mentors, investors and a shot at funding, not theory in a lecture hall.
Watch · Cohort 1 Pitch Day

See what backing talent actually looks like.

The room where it happens, inside Cohort 1's Pitch Day at Revolut HQ.

Read the full story →
Cohort 1 founder pitching at Revolut HQ ▶ COHORT 1 PITCH DAY · REVOLUT HQ
The record

One cohort in. Here's what backing exceptional talent has already looked like.

01Startups acceleratedCohort 1, across the UK100
02Invested live on pitch dayBy the judging panel, in one afternoon£18.5k
03Watched the final pitchesStreamed live online3,000+
04Weeks, idea to startupThe length of the programme8
Meet Cohort 1

The ten founders who pitched from Cohort 1. This is who "exceptional" looks like.

001Mara JamesOkino · Mara JamesRead story →
002Hussnain KhanOMO · Hussnain KhanRead story →
003Oscar HeaneyFarFrom · Oscar HeaneyRead story →
004Natalie WeirPlayivity · Natalie WeirRead story →
005Sebastian KotLondon Quantum Group · Sebastian KotRead story →
006Abraham O.tPay365 · Abraham O.Read story →
007Amaan KhanAspire · Amaan KhanRead story →
008Mark EdwardsSLVR · Mark EdwardsRead story →
009Natalie MbonjaniPalmPro · Natalie MbonjaniRead story →
010Amelia VincentMiddle · Amelia VincentRead story →
In the room
Founders networking at Revolut HQ
Founders connecting over food
The Cohort 1 audience
A founder at the showcase
Mentors and founders in conversation
A founder mid-conversation
Founders at Pitch Day
Watching the pitches
A founder presenting
Where next
Mentors & investors

Back them with us.

Get early access to exceptional founders, mentor them directly, and join a community of VCs and operators backing the next generation, from our London evenings to the stage at Leicester Square.

Simon Squibb speaking with a Cohort 1 founder