Antidote’s mission is to promote growth in the UK and to support entrepreneurs in Britain to build on open technologies, starting within Bitcoin and Fintech. The accelerator provides workspace, funding, mentorship, and policy access, helping founders turn ideas into products that solve real challenges in payments and advance the technologies powering the next internet economy.

Targeting early-stage entrepreneurs, experienced operators and corporate innovators, Antidote wants to empower founders from any background to turn serious ideas into investable, commercially-viable businesses. Its programmes support founders working on:

• Financial and payments infrastructure
• Digital identity and data sovereignty
• Bitcoin and open-source technologies
• Institutional and regulatory alignment for fintech innovation

Speaking of the launch Ben Cousens, Co-Founder and CEO of Antidote, said: “We’re here for entrepreneurs turning new technology into real impact. Whether it’s Bitcoin, fintech, or leveraging AI and online identity, Antidote can offer the capital, community, and credibility to scale. The UK has the potential to lead this new wave of innovation. We just need to back the people building and focus on solving real problems: that's what matters.”

Reclaiming Britain’s place at the forefront of innovation

In recent years, the UK has faced challenging questions over its startup edge. Early-stage investment has fallen by nearly 10% year-on-year, tech founders are relocating abroad amid rising taxes and tighter rules, and the country has slipped in global innovation rankings. Yet Britain still has world-class universities, deep capital markets, Common Law and one of the most vibrant Fintech ecosystems in the world.

Antidote sees this as a moment to reset that trajectory, to rebuild the UK’s reputation as a hub for credible, long-term innovation. By connecting founders with the partners, investors, and industries where their products can make a real impact, it hopes to help spark a new wave of progress reminiscent of Britain’s original industrial and financial revolutions.

“The UK has all the right ingredients by way of talent, capital, and legal frameworks to lead this new era of open, financial innovation,” Cousens added. “What’s been missing is a credible bridge between founders and institutions, as well as a constructive approach to the 21st Century technologies that will define the economy of the future. That’s what Antidote is here to build.”

A credible support system

Antidote is working in partnership with organisations such as leading UK think-tank Bitcoin Policy UK as well as global innovation-focused law firm TaylorWessing, who were instrumental in the formation of the organisation. The aim is to enable access to a network that can bridge grassroots innovation with institutional support building trust, clarity, and collaboration across the UK’s growing technology ecosystem.

Discussing the formation of Antidote, Richard Faichney, Partner at Taylor Wessing said: “We’ve worked closely with Antidote from the start to help build a foundation grounded in trust, clarity, and collaboration. Their work demonstrates how legal and institutional rigour can enable innovation rather than restrict it. This is a crucial step in strengthening the UK’s position as a hub for credible, long-term technology ventures. We are so thrilled to support Ben, Andy and the whole Antidote team on that mission!”

Through its workspace and network in London’s Hatton Garden, Antidote will offer founders access to:

• A six-month accelerator programme with workspace, workshops, and demo days
• Direct funding and investor introductions
• Mentorship from leading fintech, Bitcoin, and venture experts
• Community events and policy roundtables with UK regulators and ecosystem partners

Highlighting the reasons for backing the accelerator, Mayra Tama, Partner at Initial Capital, said: "Initial Capital invests in founders and ecosystems that turn Bitcoin’s potential into real-world progress,” said. “Antidote is building exactly what the UK needs right now, a credible platform that connects entrepreneurs, capital, and policy to accelerate meaningful innovation. We’re confident that Ben and the team will help cultivate the kind of companies that define the next decade of fintech and open technology.”

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