Innovation makes good business sense

We believe innovation can come from anywhere and our mission is to help identify, develop and promote the breadth of talent and technological entrepreneurship that exists throughout the whole of the UK.

We help identify, develop and promote the breadth of talent and technological entrepreneurship that exists throughout the whole of the UK.

We do this through our programmes to accelerate start-ups, run in collaboration with our network of partners, coaches and mentors.

We currently support companies across UK sites in London, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Oldham and Manchester.

Calls for companies to join our programmes happen regularly, but you may also register your interest at any time - we’re always keen to talk to people seeking to develop the next generation of digital start-ups.

Companies that join Wayra UK benefit from not only our expertise, but also that of the UK’s leading organisations. Some of our partners include; pharmaceutical company Merck, Sharpe & Dohme (MSD), Big Society Capital, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Transport Systems Catapult.

Our Programmes

Health Hub 2020

In a post COVID-19 era, healthcare delivery in the NHS will be transformed. This is the accelerator programme at the forefront of this change. Applications are now open to HealthTech start-ups that can benefit the NHS in the medium to long term!

Open
5PRING

We're proud to announce that as part of a consortium led by Telefónica UK (O2) - Wayra UK, Deloitte and Digital Catapult have been awarded a major contract by West Midlands 5G (WM5G) Limited to build 5G Accelerators in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry.

Open
Apply now to the NCSC Cyber Accelerator! 

Developing the UK’s next generation of cyber security solutions. Applications for the next cohort are now open!

Open
London 2020 Programme

Wayra London is our flagship programme. We invest primarily in start-ups that could bring new revenues, innovation and transformation to Telefónica globally and O2 locally.

Closed
The Intelligent Mobility Accelerator

Seeking start-ups to lead a transport revolution powered by the Connected Places Catapult and Wayra UK. Applications are now closed.

Closed
AI & Blockchain Accelerator 

Based at the Bayes Centre, this programme is a collaboration between Wayra UK and The University of Edinburgh’s Data-Driven Innovation Initiative. It is also supported by Scottish Enterprise and sponsored by Cisco.

Closed