Bethnal Green Ventures: funding, terms & how to apply
Europe's tech-for-good standard-bearer — £60K for 7% into very early UK startups tackling social and environmental problems, with follow-on up to £1M.
Investment
£60K for 7%
Equity
7% equity, with follow-on up to £1M for top companies
Program length
12 weeks (6-week intensive + 6 weeks coaching)
Format
Hybrid
Deadlines
2 cohorts/year (spring & autumn)
Acceptance rate
~3–4%
Facts last checked 2026-08-26. Deals and dates change — the official site is always the source of truth for the current application window.
What Bethnal Green Ventures actually is
Bethnal Green Ventures runs the longest-standing 'tech for good' accelerator in Europe: £60K for 7% into idea-to-pre-seed startups whose product addresses a social or environmental problem, through a 12-week London program (a 6-week intensive plus 6 weeks of coaching) run twice a year. The firm reserves follow-on capacity up to £1M for its strongest portfolio companies.
The impact thesis is a hard gate, not a preference — applications are assessed on the problem's significance as much as the business. Companies must be (or become) UK-incorporated, which is the main constraint for international founders.
What they look for
The bar you need to clear before the application is worth sending.
A genuine social or environmental problem at the product's core.
Very early teams — idea stage is explicitly welcome.
UK incorporation (or willingness to incorporate in the UK).
Founders who can articulate measurable impact alongside commercial logic.
Before you apply
Most rejections happen before the interview — in the application itself
Every question Bethnal Green Ventures asks — problem, traction, business model, team, market size — maps to work you can finish first. Build your startup profile in StartupKit, run the readiness score, and walk into the application with real answers instead of blank fields. Free, no card.
Build your startup profile freeApplication FAQ
What does BGV invest?
£60K in exchange for 7% equity at acceptance, with follow-on investment of up to £1M available for the most promising portfolio companies.
Do I need to be UK-based?
The company needs UK incorporation to take investment; the program itself runs hybrid out of London with two cohorts a year.
What counts as 'tech for good'?
Products whose primary mechanism addresses a social or environmental problem — health, climate, education, civic tech — judged on impact potential as rigorously as on the business.
Similar programs
Village Capital
Global · Equity-free; peer-selected startups receive grant capital
The peer-selected accelerator — thematic, equity-free programs for impact-driven startups where the cohort itself votes on who receives the grant capital.
Station F Founders Program
Europe · No cash investment; desk fee from ~€259/month
Residency at the world's biggest startup campus — the Founders Program puts early teams inside Station F's 1,000-startup Paris ecosystem for a desk fee rather than equity or a check.
MassChallenge
North America · No equity, no fees; competition-based cash awards
The zero-equity competition-accelerator — large cohorts, mentor marathons, and cash prizes instead of investment, across Boston, Texas, Israel, Switzerland and Mexico.