Welcome to the UK: home of the entrepreneurial spirit.
From our world-class outstanding financial services to a globally renowned workforce, there are countless reasons why entrepreneurs choose the UK time after time.
The UK emphatically provides the ideal environment for entrepreneurs to set up and scale their businesses – discover how you can unlock your potential here with tailored support from the Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP).
The Global Entrepreneur Programme
The GEP is the Department for Business and Trade’s flagship programme that enables ambitious, internationally mobile entrepreneurs and their innovation-rich companies to scale and grow from a UK global HQ.
Once a GEP-backed company establishes its global HQ in the UK, it receives focused and tailored support as part of the GEP Alumni Academy.
How it works
- You will work with our team of dealmakers, successful entrepreneurs with vast experience in scaling technology businesses.
- They leverage their expertise and networks to help you expand your innovative business globally from your UK HQ.
Our Dealmakers
Dealmakers identify and attract highly innovative, internationally mobile founders with the necessary skills to scale their innovation-rich businesses from a UK HQ.
- They act as advisers and mentors and have abundant networks both in the UK and overseas.
- Provide GEP’s alumni with introductions to key connections including potential investors and partners.
Find out if you qualify for the GEP
You will need to meet this criteria:
- Your company is beyond the proof-of-concept stage.
- You have a strong willingness to relocate your global headquarters to the UK in order to access the world class ecosystem, with at least one co-founder based in the UK to grow the business.
- Your company does not currently have presence in the UK.
Supporting your business
The GEP’s team of dealmakers and HQ team work directly with our pipeline companies as well as our alumni to provide important aftercare support as part of the GEP Alumni programme.
- We provide focused guidance on relocating to the UK, including Innovator Founder Visa applications and endorsement.
Looking to accelerate your business?
Send your pitch deck to us here if you meet the criteria
Success stories
SwIDch
SwiDch is an innovation enabler that specialises in cyber security, and having set up initially in South Korea, established their global HQ in London in 2018 after meeting the GEP at major tech event in Korea.
It has developed the world’s first one-way dynamic authentication technology, OTAC. This provides more secure authentication for all digital identities and has enabled swIDch to set a new standard for authentication in cybersecurity.
They hold the honour of being recognised over last few years as one of the world’s most innovative CyberTech Companies for financial institutions.
See Swidch.com
Kuda
Nigerian fintech start-up Kuda established its global HQ in the UK in 2019 as part of the Global Entrepreneur Programme.
Kuda is a full-service, digital-only challenger bank with offices in London, its HQ, and Lagos. It provides full banking services via its apps which allow Nigerians with internet access to run a spending account and save money automatically without the burden of traditional bank charges.
This makes Kuda Bank the leader in Africa's neobanks and at the forefront of its fintech generation. The company closed their Series A round of funding in March 2021, quickly followed by a Series B round of funding in August 2021.
It was valued at $500 million in September 2021.
See kudabank.com