NatWest is launching NatWest Accelerator Pitch – a new £1m competition offering small business owners and entrepreneurs the chance to win a share of funding to fuel their growth.

The bank is inviting small business owners from across the UK to submit a 60-second video pitch explaining how funding would help them grow their business. 

Entrepreneurs are also asked to reference their track record of setting and achieving goals in business.

The best submissions will be selected to compete in live final events – with the first in Manchester and London later in the year – where five finalists will give a 10-minute Dragon’s Den-style pitch in front of a panel of judges. 

The top three pitches at each final will share a £100,000 in funding, with the overall winner scooping £70,000 for their business.

The NatWest Accelerator, which claims to have supported nearly 10,000 small businesses since 2015, is also encouraging more entrepreneurs to access its practical tools, expert support, and likeminded community through its new digital network.

Darren Pirie, head of the NatWest Accelerator, said: “As Britain’s biggest bank for start-ups, we believe that supporting small business growth is key to a strong economy which is why we are thrilled to launch NatWest Pitch to do just that.

“As we mark 10 years of the NatWest Accelerator today, we’re also offering thousands of entrepreneurs the opportunity to join our free digital community in 2025 – fuelling their growth and success through expert support and practical tools.

“This competition is a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas, telling us about their successes and milestones to date and how they’ll use the funding to grow to the next level. My advice is don’t be modest – tell us what makes your business special.”

Time running out to nominate for 2025 ‘GM Rising Stars of Business’

The first live final will take place in Manchester in July, where finalists will pitch their businesses and answer questions from a panel of industry experts. They will be judged on their business models, innovative growth strategies, and the impact the prize money will have on their future success.

A competition in London will also take place in 2025 with the bank rolling out other finals across the UK next year. Each regional competition will award £100,000 in funding, divided between first, second and third place.

NatWest has also announced its ambition to significantly expand its support to UK businesses by offering 10,000 entrepreneurs the chance to join its Accelerator community in 2025, while setting out a long-term strategy to support the UK’s growth goals through new university partnerships.

Since the programme was founded in Birmingham in 2015, the bank has grown its Accelerator hubs to 12 sites across the UK. These hubs have supported 9,737 businesses since 2015, raising over £684m in investment and creating over 12,000 jobs.

In the next stage of its expansion, NatWest will be partnering with up to 10 UK universities to open new business accelerators in the next three years. 

The bank has run an accelerator programme at the University of Warwick since 2021.

Matillion & Kids Planet CEOs set for GM Rising Stars of Business launch