NatWest has opened a new business Accelerator at Tyseley Energy Park in Birmingham, handing West Midlands founders direct access to capital, coaching and investor networks in a region whose advanced engineering and manufacturing sector already generates £22 billion a year and supports 273,000 jobs.
The hub, launched in partnership with TEP Birmingham and Webster & Horsfall Group, is aimed squarely at founders and growth businesses trying to make the leap from promising idea to investable company.
There is a pleasing symmetry in the choice of venue. TEP is owned by Webster & Horsfall Group, a family-owned Birmingham manufacturer with more than 300 years of industrial heritage and a banking relationship with NatWest stretching back to 1948. The Group still makes specialist wire and wire-rope products for the aerospace, automotive, marine and medical industries, while transforming part of its historic Tyseley site into an energy and innovation cluster.
For small business owners, the practical offer is worth noting. Members receive specialist coaching, workshops, peer support and introductions to investors, commercial partners and sector experts, alongside access to NatWest’s venture banking, sustainability finance and IP lending propositions. Membership is free, and the bank plans to grow its Accelerator community to 50,000 members during 2026, with entrepreneurs able to join through the digital platform at natwest.com/accelerator.
The location puts members inside a working industrial cluster rather than a glass-box co-working space. TEP Birmingham is home to more than 20 energy and technology organisations working across low-carbon energy, sustainable transport, resource recovery, advanced materials and the circular economy, bringing entrepreneurs together with manufacturers, universities, policymakers and infrastructure providers.
The timing is no accident either. The West Midlands Growth Plan identifies commercialisation of technologies developed by businesses, universities and research institutions as a key route to growth, while the Government-backed Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, led by UK Research and Innovation, is designed to bridge the gap between research and commercialisation in regions like the West Midlands. Ministers have already awarded regions up to £20 million each to back high-potential innovation clusters.
The launch also aligns with the West Midlands Investment Zone, which is targeting growth in advanced manufacturing, including battery technology, digital industries and green sectors, and sits neatly alongside the Government’s wider push to put advanced manufacturing at the heart of its industrial strategy.
Robert Begbie, CEO of NatWest Commercial & Institutional, said: “The West Midlands has the industrial strength, technical expertise and entrepreneurial ambition to become one of the UK’s leading regions for green growth.
“But strong ideas need more than technology alone. Businesses also need capital, customers, commercial expertise and the right networks.
“This partnership brings those elements together. By combining our Accelerator network, venture banking expertise and sustainability finance capabilities, we can help more businesses commercialise, attract investment and scale.”
Robert Horsfall, Director of Webster & Horsfall Group and co-founder of TEP Birmingham, said: “TEP Birmingham was created to bring business, universities and the public sector together to develop and commercialise new ideas. The NatWest Accelerator adds a vital new element, giving founders and growth businesses access to finance, commercial expertise and wider industry networks.
“Together, we want to help more businesses find partners, secure investment and grow here in the West Midlands.”
NatWest already operates Accelerator hubs in Birmingham and at the University of Warwick. The new Tyseley location connects the three sites into a single regional ecosystem, meaning a founder in Digbeth or a spin-out in Coventry now has a shorter route than ever to investors, industry partners and, crucially, the bank manager.
