Strategic enterprise partnership to turbocharge UK business support
NatWest has announced a strategic enterprise partnership with Enterprise Nation, a leading hub for entrepreneurial support, which it says will offer early-stage businesses a more streamlined path to growth.
The collaboration marks a shift in how UK businesses are supported, as two major providers integrate their services to create a more comprehensive and accessible growth network.
The partnership lands at a critical moment. Enterprise Nation’s latest Small Business Barometer shows funding appetite has fallen sharply, with just 40% of small businesses now planning to seek external funding in the next 12 months, down from a peak of 63%. Confidence in expansion has followed the same trajectory, dropping to 41% from 50% a year ago. The data also points to a widening gender difference in how well business support is working: businesses founded by men are increasingly likely to say the support they sought fell short, with 40% of male business owners reporting that “nothing worked for me” when they sought advice in the past year, up from 27% in 2025, rising to around half of male founders who already employ staff.
With ambitious plans to expand the Enterprise Nation community from 170,000 to 240,000 members, the partnership will deliver enhanced support to a wider range of businesses, creating a robust ecosystem for innovation and success.
That will include expanded access to the NatWest Accelerator’s community through its growing regional network of Accelerator hubs, a market-leading Local Leaders network and opportunities to connect with funding, support and expertise via the NatWest Accelerator’s app.
The venture is not only expected to save entrepreneurs more than a million hours a year, unlocking an estimated £30 million in productivity gains at a time of rising costs and unpredictable global political pressures, but also to play a vital role in overcoming structural barriers that see some diverse micro firms locked out of traditional support delivery – and in closing the gap where existing support is falling short.
The partnership is part of NatWest’s Growing Together plan, a five-point plan focused on backing powerful regions, championing mid-market businesses, strengthening infrastructure and housing, boosting financial confidence among families and young people, and supporting the innovators shaping the future economy. Through this approach, NatWest aims to bring businesses, communities, and policymakers together to tackle structural barriers, unlock productivity and spread opportunity across the UK.
