Calling All Upstarts

If you have an idea to transform or create a lucrative market by combining your unique experience, expertise and talents with the latest advancements in technology and AI, but you have no software skills or technical team to build your vision, you are a Tech Upstart and we want to help you.

Tech Upstarts is a company that specialises in nurturing ambitious, non-technical, solo founders and securing early funding for the innovative UK startups that they lead.

Despite the prevailing wisdom from Silicon Valley, we believe that many ambitious solo founders don't need to find co-founders to validate their idea, or share their vision. They need support to make it a reality.

Setting up for success

Your idea is the bedrock of your entire business, we'll help you build solid foundations on top of it.

Concept

In our concept workshop, we'll define your target market and develop your business model.

Branding

Our branding workshop involves domain name research and trademark searches.

IP

We'll establish if your concept is patentable, acquire domains and register trademarks.

Presence

Establishing your early online presence and communicating your vision.

Turning your vision into reality

Work with proven, tried and tested experts to turn your idea into a real business.

Prototype

We'll help you to develop your first prototype and introduce you to software engineers that can turn your vision into reality.

Pitching

Helping you break down your offering and designing pitches for your first customers and early investors.

Marketing

We help you to identify, pitch, sign-up and onboard your first customers.

Funding

Helping you to secure government grant funding and/or angel investment. Sometimes we'll invest too.

Work on your business without the busywork

Focus on your vision and what only you can do, we'll take care of the rest.

Formation

Registering your company at Companies House.

Address

Registered office address and director's service address.

Accounts

Filing annual accounts and confirmation statements.

Tax

SEIS and EIS approval, preparing company tax returns, self assessments and R&D rebates.

Answered questions

Do you take a stake in the company?

No, we don't take a stake in your company – it will be 100% owned by you. Once your startup is established, we might make an offer to invest in your company but you are under no obligation to accept investment.

I've already started my company, can I still get help?

Of course, we specialise in helping early stage startups that have not yet secured outside funding. If you have already secured funding, we can introduce you to our partner company that can help you secure R&D funding for your company.

I already have investors, can I apply?

We only work with companies that have not yet secured outside funding (bootstrapping and friends and family funding is ok). If you have already secured funding, we can introduce you to our partner company that can help you secure R&D funding for your company.

Do you work with non-UK companies?

Not at the moment, we only work with UK based companies. We are looking to expand our services to other countries in the future.

What's in it for you!?

We only work with the companies where we see the most potential. We know that being involved with high-potential companies and founders from the start builds loyalty and offers opportunities later down the line for investment, consultancy and other services.

I have co-founders, is that ok?

There are plenty of accelerators and incubators that will support founding teams, we specialise in working with solo founders because we believe they are not well catered for. We've also found it's far simpler to work with one founder. However, if your team are comfortable assigning one person to be the main point of contact, we are happy to consider it.

I thought being called an Upstart was a bad thing!?

Usually, it's the large established incumbent that considers their scrappy challenger an upstart. Often, they don't take you seriously because you don't have what they see as the pre-requisite qualifications, expertise or experience. We think that's a good thing, it means you're not constrained by the same groupthink, rules and limitations as they are. We believe that being an upstart is a badge of honour.

What does it cost me?

Nothing. We carefully select Upstarts that we believe can secure grant and/or angel funding and invest our time and expertise to get you to that stage at no cost to you. Once you're funded, you'll use company funds to execute our joint plan to build your MVP. After that, we'll offer you a support package to continue our journey together, we hope you'll want to do that, but you're under no obligation.

Your specialist startup squad

We're a team of experienced entrepreneurs, software engineers, designers, marketers, investors, project managers and finance experts that are passionate about helping ambitious solo founders to build their vision. We've secured millions in UK funding, generated millions in UK sales, hold dozens of worldwide patents. We were Upstarts too and we want to help the next generation.