Starting in June 2022, the six-month accelerator is aimed at ambitious e-sports, gaming, social media and streaming entrepreneurs across the UK who have recently started a business or are thinking about forming a company.

The programme aims to empower entrepreneurs by providing fully-funded access to a range of tools and opportunities including one-to-one coaching with experts in the field, a network of like-minded peers and invitations to face-to-face and virtual events on how to build and grow their businesses.

The accelerator can help develop the skills, knowledge and networks needed to access new markets and funding, build an effective team, develop leadership skills and create a scalable infrastructure.

Coutts and NatWest have launched a programme to help entrepreneurs in the Interactive Entertainment (IE) space build and develop their businesses.

Applications are now open online via the Coutts website, and candidates do not need to be existing Coutts or NatWest customers to be eligible. Applications close on May 13, 2022.

The programme will be delivered in partnership with the NatWest Accelerator. NatWest has supported more than 3,500 businesses since 2018 thanks to its 13 accelerator hubs across the UK. Out of these businesses, 43 per cent are female-led and 20 per cent are run by entrepreneurs from an ethnic minority background.

Paul Franks, interactive entertainment lead, Coutts, said: “Interactive Entertainment is one of the fastest-growing industries in the UK, with the global gaming market on track to surpass $300bn by 2026.

“By helping entrepreneurs form a business and a strategy behind something that is normally considered a hobby, we’re striving to change the misconception that being in interactive entertainment isn’t a ‘real career’. At Coutts, our aim is to be the go-to bank for those in IE, using our team of experts to help them thrive.”

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James Mitchinson

Banks Coutts and Natwest looking to help e-sports, gaming, social media and streaming entrepreneurs