I’m very proud that the King’s Start-up Accelerator has been recognised alongside Europe’s biggest and longest established start-up hubs. It has an enviable record of turning early-stage concepts from our community into thriving start-ups and true to the King’s mission of making the world a better place, many of its businesses bring wider social benefits in addition to their economic contribution."
Prof. Stephen Bach, Executive Dean of King’s Business School
27 February 2025
Entrepreneurship Institute ranked among Europe's Leading Start-up Hubs
The Entrepreneurship Institute at King’s Business School is featured in the Financial Times’ Leading Start-up Hubs report for the first time, ranking 73rd out of 150 companies and 4th university hub in the UK.
The recognition highlights the impact of the King’s Start-up Accelerator (formerly King’s20 Accelerator), a 12-month programme open to all King’s students, staff, and alumni. Since its launch in 2016, the accelerator has supported over 160 ventures to develop solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems.
Feedback from each start-up hub’s alumni made up 85% of the ranking, alongside recommendations from external experts such as Venture Capital investors and the Institute’s track record, based on evaluations of the top start-ups which emerged from the programme. Alumni assessed their experience across six areas: mentoring and training, infrastructure, funding, networking, business development, legal assistance, and post-programme support.
Collectively, the accelerator’s ventures have raised £103.4m in revenue, £107.7m in investment, £10.6m in grants, and created 1,368 jobs since 2016.
To be amongst the top 20 start-up hubs in the UK is testament to the team’s hard work and dedication over the years, to ensure we’re scaling ventures, supporting founders and supercharging their networks. It feels extra special to receive this recognition as we celebrate 10 years of the Entrepreneurship Institute this year."
Julie Devonshire OBE, Director of the Entrepreneurship Institute
Our experience on the King's Start-up Accelerator helped us secure pre-seed investment, get our first big pharma customer and most importantly get involved with a community of start-ups and supportive experts. The start-up journey has many challenges to overcome, having people in your corner and other start-ups to share experiences with has been invaluable.
Jamie Cartland, CEO and Co-founder of Conduit Bio and King's alumnus (Biomedical Science with Pharmacology, 2014)
In addition to King’s Start-up Accelerator, the EI also runs the King’s Spinout Accelerator, a 12-month programme dedicated to supporting the translation of inventions born from ground-breaking research across King’s.
The accelerators are just one of the ways the EI supports students, staff and alumni to develop their entrepreneurial skills and ideas, both during their time at King’s, and for success beyond university. Visit our website to find out more.