Britain's ambitious scale-ups backed to keep growing in the UK. * Friday, October 30, 2026 * Posted By The Growth Company * Scale UK Connect pilot will give 200 high-growth UK firms expert advice, connections and international opportunities to help them grow. * Businesses can apply now to access support from a network of partners covering the UK, from London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, to the South West, Yorkshire, Scotland and beyond. * Home-grown companies will get the support they need to attract international investment and reach new customers - creating good jobs and growth in communities across the UK. Ambitious scale-ups across Britain will get the expert support they need to scale up and stay in the UK, meaning more talented innovators can build their businesses at home and benefit people all over the country. The UK is one of the best places in the world to start a company - UK tech start ups raised $17bn in the first half of 2026 - which is more than France, Germany and Sweden combined. But too many promising businesses stall as they try to grow, in part because they lack the advice, capital or connections to reach the next level. A new pilot scheme, Scale UK Connect, will tackle this head-on with 200 scale-ups across the UK getting expert account management and tailored advice on how to expand. It will also include new ways to network with fellow founders, investors and major funds, opening up new trade opportunities at home and abroad. The pilot, which will offer a 12-month programme of sustained support, aims to develop a pipeline of high growth companies to follow in the footsteps of UK success stories like Quantexa and Synthesia, bringing benefits to Brits and boosting economic growth. UK Science Minister Chris McDonald said: "Britain is brimming with entrepreneurial talent that can benefit us all. But those who put their neck on the line to start the businesses behind jobs and growth need to know we've got their backs to take their ambitions further. "Scale UK Connect will do exactly that. We're giving 200 companies, from all over the country, the expert advice, investor connections and global opportunities they need to grow here, stay here, and create good jobs and growth in every postcode." This announcement is one piece in a major package of support for entrepreneurs announced in Chancellor John Healey's Budget yesterday, including cementing the UK's world leading tax offer for founders and their companies, and a step change in how procurement will support UK industry and innovation. Building on work over the past 12-months, the package addresses practical barriers founders and high-growth firms continue to face: finding customers, accessing capital, attracting exceptional talent and navigating government. Together, these measures take the Chancellor closer to his ambition to make the UK the best place in the world for business to start, scale and stay. The Scale UK Connect pilot will be led by growth agency London & Partners, in partnership with organisations in Manchester, the West Midlands, Yorkshire, the South West and Scotland. This means businesses from all over the UK will benefit, with an emphasis on building connections between scale-ups, investors and corporates at home and around the world. The Scale UK Connect pilot builds on an approach with a proven track record: Intelligent Lab on Fiber (iLoF) is a digital health company using an AI platform to understand a patient's individual biology so they can get a quicker diagnosis or avoid unnecessary treatment for diseases like lung cancer and Alzheimer's. iLoF joined a London & Partners' trade mission to Japan through the Grow London Global programme, and attended major health tech fair BioJapan. This gave the team practical insight into the business culture of a key market, with iLoF going on to secure a partnership with Japanese investor Hamamatsu. It's a key part of the Government's wider Scale UK mission announced at the Budget; championing high-growth businesses, listening to their concerns, and taking action to support them. Janet Coyle CBE, Managing Director at London & Partners, said: "Scale UK Connect will help ambitious businesses find new customers, attract investors, and break into markets around the world. We'll connect UK entrepreneurs with the right people and opportunities, helping them win overseas business in months rather than years." Janine Smith, Executive Director of GM Business Growth Hub, part of The Growth Company said: "Growth in the nation must be across the nation, that's why we're proud to be a regional partner delivering Scale UK Connect in Greater Manchester. "We're proud of the success we've had here in the city-region, and being able to be part of something bigger like this support means that success can be felt in more places. Driving productivity, scaling businesses and creating jobs is vital. "We look forward to supporting businesses here in Greater Manchester and working with the other partners across the UK." Ambitious businesses are already signalling their enthusiasm. They include Glasgow's Raven Controls, whose software helps major venues and events respond more quickly to safety incidents; Newcastle-based GeoPura, which replaces polluting generators with portable hydrogen power; and Birmingham's CyberQ Group, which provides round-the-clock protection against cyber threats. Applications are open to companies until January 2027. The cohort will formally launch in February 2027, followed by 12 months of tailored support. High-growth businesses can find out more and apply at: Scale UK Connect

Bulgarian venture capital firm Webit Investment Network has invested €200,000 in UK-based deeptech company iLoF through a simple agreement for future equity instrument. The investment joins existing backers including Microsoft Ventures, Lunar Ventures, Quiet Capital, Hamamatsu and EIT Health. iLoF develops a deeptech platform combining photonics and AI to analyse biological samples, creating molecular fingerprints for pre-clinical analytics, biopharma and clinical applications. The company works with AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Hamamatsu Medical Centers, with revenues growing over 40% in 2025 versus 2024. The investment expands Webit's healthcare and biotechnology vertical and complements its existing position in French medical device company InHeart.