Applications open for October intake at Cardiff’s Natwest entrepreneur accelerator

Applications are now open for October’s intake at the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator in Cardiff.

Entrepreneurs from across Wales are being encouraged to take part in the programme, which helps them scale and grow their businesses. Fully funded by NatWest the six month programme is open to entrepreneurs of any age and at any stage of their business, including larger companies with higher turnovers. It provides successful applicants with coaching and support and office facilities at its One Central Square headquarters.

The accelerator takes in two cohorts of 80 entrepreneurs each year – one in April and one in October.

Siwan Rees, entrepreneur acceleration manager in Cardiff, said:

“We’re really excited to announce the opening of the application process for our October intake. The accelerator has helped hundreds of businesses achieve national and international success and we’re really keen on helping more businesses achieve their goals. Crucially, the businesses we support succeed with over 80 per cent still operating after two-years. Our only goal is to help entrepreneurs wherever they are in Wales to succeed.”

Since the Cardiff accelerator launched in 2016, nearly 700 businesses – from Fintech firms to fashion brands – have been through the programme creating a significant number of jobs and raising millions of pounds in investment and funding through the scheme. They include Cardiff-based digital marketing and website design agency Ozum.

Steph Baines, business development director at the company, said:

“We were in a position where we wanted to grow our team and get our business practices in a better place so that we could take on bigger projects. The Accelerator programme is ideal – the hub is a fantastic working environment for our whole team, we have easy access to the sort of expertise we needed, such as in the banking and legal areas, and the business coaching is encouraging us to dedicate time to working on the business, not just in it.

“We are experts in our field and through the Accelerator programme we are getting the systems and processes in place to give us the confidence to grow, knowing we’re creating the right sort of culture for our team and have the infrastructure in place to handle more complex contracts.”

Entrepreneurs can progress through the Accelerator programme up to a maximum of three times, making 18 months in total. The closing date for applicants is August 26. To apply visit https://www.business.natwest.com/business/business-banking/services/entrepreneur-accelerator.html.