A national pilot called Scale UK Connect will offer 200 high-growth companies tailored support intended to help them expand from the UK. The government has allocated £3.4 million to the 18-month pilot, with participating firms receiving a 12-month programme of advice and connections.
The scheme will be delivered with London & Partners and regional organisations. It is designed to address a familiar gap: companies may find support while starting but struggle to navigate finance, recruitment, regulation and overseas growth once they begin scaling.
What will selected companies receive?
The offer includes account management, specialist advice, networking, introductions to investors and access to international opportunities. A named point of contact can be useful when a company’s needs cut across several public agencies and local programmes.
Participation is not an investment guarantee. Companies will still need to meet investor requirements, win customers and manage their own commercial risks. The pilot’s value will depend on the quality of advisers and introductions, not simply the number of meetings delivered.
Why focus on scale-ups?
High-growth firms can create skilled jobs and export revenue, but rapid expansion also exposes weaknesses in management systems and access to capital. UK policy has increasingly focused on keeping successful companies headquartered and growing domestically rather than losing later-stage activity overseas.
The government says UK start-ups raised $17 billion in the first half of 2026. That figure describes the broader funding market; it does not show that every region or sector has equal access to investment.
How should the pilot be judged?
Useful measures would include follow-on investment, revenue growth, exports, job creation and whether participating companies remain active after support ends. Regional distribution will matter too, because a national scheme should show that businesses outside established hubs can reach relevant networks.
Scale UK Connect is deliberately a pilot. That creates room to test which interventions work before a larger commitment, but it also means the programme should publish enough evidence for businesses and taxpayers to assess the result.
Source: UK government announcement, 29 October 2026.
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