Problem: Your UK business is growing fast. You already have a dozen or more staff, customers and plans to go abroad. But you lack time, investor contacts and experience of scaling up. Where can you get help?
On 29 October 2026 the government announced a new, free programme, Scale UK Connect. It is a £3.4 million pilot for 200 fast-growing businesses. It is run by London & Partners on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), with partners in Manchester, the West Midlands, Yorkshire, the South West and Scotland. Recruitment runs until January 2027, the cohort starts in February 2027, and support lasts 12 months.
Conditions according to the programme page: a business registered and operating in the UK, turnover or investment raised of at least £2 million, at least 10 people (including founders) and plans to grow or expand abroad. The programme is best suited to sectors identified in the government’s industrial strategy.
Possible solutions
1. Scale UK Connect. Pros: free, an account manager, a growth plan, contacts with investors and customers, trips to overseas markets. Cons: only 200 places, high thresholds (£2 million, 10 people), requires management time throughout the year.
2. General government support via business.gov.uk. Pros: available to any business, information on funding, exporting and hiring. Cons: less individual support.
3. A paid adviser or mentor. Pros: fully tailored to your business, quick start. Cons: cost and the risk of choosing a weak adviser.
Our recommendation
If your business meets the thresholds, we would register it for Scale UK Connect as soon as possible – the programme is free and places are limited. Registration costs nothing and is not binding. For businesses below the thresholds, we recommend starting with the free information on business.gov.uk.
The decision is yours
The choice depends on the size of your business and the time you can commit. If you need help straight away with one specific issue, a paid adviser may be faster. The government programme offers more contacts, but requires taking part for 12 months.
What to do
- Check whether you meet the conditions: turnover or investment of at least £2 million, at least 10 people.
- Fill in the registration form on the Scale UK Connect page (business.gov.uk).
- Prepare a short description of your plans: markets, hiring, funding needed.
- Read the government announcement on GOV.UK.
Sources: GOV.UK, “Britain’s ambitious scale-ups backed to keep growing in the UK” (29 October 2026); business.gov.uk, Scale UK Connect (28 October 2026).
We assess factual corrections and substantive responses. Verified changes are reflected in our reporting.
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