The Enterprise Hub within the Royal Academy of Engineering has been designated as the UK’s top accelerator for spinouts and startups, according to new analysis.
Based on the criteria of alumni feedback, external recommendations from investors, entrepreneurs and academics and analysis of the success of startups that go through it, the Enterprise Hub came out on top in a collaborative report from Statista, Financial Times and Sifted.
The Enterprise Hub launched in 2013 and has since worked with more than 600 startup founders including Paragraf and Oxford Ionics.
The Hub reports that its programmes have helped create over 6,100 jobs across the UK and seen £3.8bn raised by alumni.
“This recognition reflects the strength our community, the bold ambition of our portfolio, and the dedication of our mentors, partners, and team,” said Ana Avaliani, director of enterprise at the Royal Academy of Engineering.
“We set out to build deep tech ecosystem where innovation thrives, and this achievement shows what’s possible when exceptional talent is given the right platform to grow.”
Dr Caroline Hargrove, chair of the academy’s Enterprise Committee and CTO of Ceres Power said: “Our offer to entrepreneurs is both demanding and generous: we do not take equity, fees or IP but we will challenge you to drive engineering excellence.
“Our financial independence allows us to see the bigger long-term picture, rather than short-term gains and means we can support founders to build companies that are commercially successful and can grow sustainably.”