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§ Private Profile · Brooklyn, NY, USA
UK government program supporting international entrepreneurs to scale tech businesses, establishing UK headquarters.
Key people at Global Entrepreneur Program.
The Global Entrepreneur Program is a London, United Kingdom-based government initiative that assists international technology entrepreneurs in scaling high-growth businesses by establishing global headquarters in the UK. Operating under the Department for Business and Trade, the program targets overseas startups beyond the proof-of-concept stage in sectors like deep tech, fintech, and clean technology. The publicly funded initiative provides strategic mentoring, funding guidance, and Innovator Founder Visa endorsements to attract foreign intellectual property to the British ecosystem. The organization utilizes a network of experienced dealmakers, including Eric van der Kleij, Sheetal Walsh, and Anmol Nayyar, to facilitate commercial partnerships. Notable alumni of the initiative include the fintech company Kuda, which established its global headquarters in the UK through the program in 2019. The exact founding year and original founders of the government program remain currently unknown.
Key people at Global Entrepreneur Program.
The Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP) is a UK government initiative run by the Department for Business and Trade, designed to attract ambitious international entrepreneurs and their innovative tech businesses to establish global headquarters in the UK.[2][3][4] It provides tailored support including visa endorsements, hands-on mentoring from experienced "dealmakers," funding strategies, partnerships, and access to the UK's ecosystem, targeting science and technology companies with IP-rich, scalable products already validated by customers.[2][3][5] Since 2004, GEP has helped nearly 1,000–1,200 founders raise over £2–£2.5 billion in VC funding, create 10,000+ high-value jobs, and scale globally from UK bases.[3][5]
Distinct from similar programs like the US-based Global Entrepreneur Accelerator (GEA) at UCSD or Global Entrepreneurs in Residence in Detroit, GEP focuses on post-traction startups ready for UK HQ relocation, emphasizing aftercare via the Alumni Academy for sustained growth.[1][2][6]
Launched in 2004 by the UK Department for International Trade (now Department for Business and Trade), GEP emerged to leverage the UK's fastest-growing tech cluster and position it as a prime hub for overseas companies setting up European HQs.[3][4][5] The program pioneered a unique model deploying "dealmakers"—internationally successful entrepreneurs based in the UK and abroad—to offer hands-on support, drawing on their firsthand experience in scaling tech businesses.[3][4] Key evolution includes expanding to over 1,000 supported founders by focusing on IP-rich firms, with pivotal growth in alumni successes like raising billions in funding and job creation, solidified through events like masterclasses in markets such as Türkiye.[3][5]
GEP rides the wave of the UK's world-class entrepreneurial ecosystem, including Europe's fastest-growing tech cluster and appeal as a global HQ for international expansion amid post-Brexit talent mobility.[2][4] Timing aligns with rising demand for IP-rich startups seeking stable, innovation-friendly bases with strong VC access; market forces like the UK's talent pool, networks, and visa pathways favor it over competitors.[3][4] It influences the ecosystem by channeling foreign talent to create jobs, boost VC inflows, and foster clusters in London and beyond, while alumni amplify networks for future founders.[3][5]
GEP is poised to expand influence as global tech founders prioritize agile HQs amid geopolitical shifts and AI/deep tech booms, potentially surpassing 2,000 alumni with rising VC in UK scaleups.[3][5] Trends like hybrid remote work and international funding hunts will shape it, evolving toward deeper specialization in frontier tech while enhancing alumni tools for sustained globalization. This cements GEP's role powering "global success for entrepreneurs," turning international ambition into UK-rooted dominance.[2]
