Innovator visa: Top 5 Business endorsing bodies

The Innovator visa route was designed for non-EEA experienced businesspersons seeking to establish a business in the UK. To be eligible for the visa, In most cases, applicants will need to have access to at least £50,000 to invest in their business, but certain exceptions apply. The applicant will also need to have an innovative, viable, and scalable business idea that needs to be approved and supported by an endorsing body.

Obtain Endorsement Letter from Approved Endorsement Body

Our immigration advisers assist applicants to identify an appropriate endorsing body and then prepare a strong application for endorsement which demonstrates their business idea is innovative, viable, and scalable. Before you contact an endorsing body, you should visit their website and check if all requirements are met. Find a list of the top business endorsing bodies for the Innovator Visa route below:

Founders Factory

Founders Factory is an award-winning venture studio and tech Start-Up accelerator.

• sectors: FinTech, Media, Health & Wellness, Travel, Retail, EdTech, AI & Big Data, Home and Hygiene
• endorses business in the UK
• the intake on applications: all year round
• based in London
• restrictions on applications: only businesses in which Founders Factory invests

Invest Northern Ireland

Invest NI endorses entities for Start-up and Innovator visas. The applicant should participate in its accelerator program or a request from client companies only.

• All sectors
• endorses business in Northern Ireland
• the intake on applications: all year round
• based in Belfast
• Only accelerator participants or requested by NI clients can apply

Level 39

The most connected tech community, encompassing 1,250 leaders in Fintech, Cyber Security, and Retail Tech based in London, Canary Wharf area.

• Sectors in FinTech, IoT and Smart Cities, Retail Tech, Cyber Security
• endorses business in Greater London
• based in London
• the intake on applications: all year round
• an applicant does not need to already be part of Level39’s community, however, they expect that the applicant would join their community once settled in the UK. 

MedCity

MedCity is the life sciences organisation that incorporates the Golden Triangle: Cambridge – London – Oxford. MedCity helps to find expertise, resources, infrastructure, places, and people to grow your company and operate.

• sectors – all life sciences
• based in London
• endorses business in Greater South East of England
• the intake on applications all year round
• There are no restrictions on applications, but they only deal directly with applicants and do not work with any intermediaries, such as lawyers or consultants

NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator

Their Accelerator is for Entrepreneurs who already have a validated and defined business model. They provide a 6-month program designed to help businesses grow and scale. Successful Endorsements can be provided 2 months after joining them.

• All sectors
• based in Brighton, London, Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast
• endorses business in the UK
• intake on applications – start dates in April and October
• They will only endorse Entrepreneurs who successfully apply for a place in their Accelerator

Contact our Immigration Lawyers – Innovator Visa

Mann’s Solutions is an international immigration law firm with offices in London, Hong Kong, and Moscow. We are specialised in offering UK Visas and Immigration by Investment services to high net worth individuals. Our immigration lawyers are regulated by OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) and IMC (Investment Migration Council).

For further information or to discuss your circumstances in a private consultation with our immigration lawyers in London Office, please contact us at enquiries@manns-solutions.com or call +44 207 993 63 46