Innovator Founder Visa Programme

The launchpad for the UK's next great founders.

A six-week, done-with-you accelerator for the world's top international founders. We co-build the plan, the product and the proof, so you leave with a submission-ready Innovator Founder Visa pack and a London community already in your corner.

Apply to the programme → See the 9-step method

200+

Applications shipped

98%

Endorser success rate

6 wk

To submission-ready

98%

Endorsement rate on applications
we've taken to submission*

Endorsed

The Story

The opportunity is real.
The route to unlock it is not.

Founders look at the UK for three reasons. The Innovator Founder visa exists to reward exactly this kind of operator, yet most applications never make it through.

01 / The Market

A market that rewards real innovation.

£10bn+ in deeptech, fintech and AI funding. A regulator that says yes faster than most. Talent pools you can hire from on day one.

02 / The Route

A legitimate path to call it home.

The Innovator Founder visa. A three-year, fast-track-to-ILR route built for the people who actually build companies, not just hold one.

03 / The Network

A community of operators who get it.

London is the world's most connected founder city. Capital, customers and co-builders are all within a 30-minute walk.

The Problem

Built for operators.
Most applications
read like decks.

Endorsing bodies read hundreds of business plans a quarter. Most are recycled templates with no Innovation Thesis, no real research, no prototype and no IP position. They get rejected.

× Plans that fail to evidence Innovation, Viability, Scalability.

× No working artefact for endorsers to interact with.

× Zero UK design authority and zero UK pilots.

What one rejection costs you

One rejection. Twelve months lost.

28d

To fix it or leave

£1k

Fee, gone

12mo

Lost to reapply

Selective Intake

Who it's for.

The Launchpad is not for everyone. We work with founders who already have credibility, traction or a thesis. If you fit one of these profiles, we get you submission-ready with the evidence to back it up.

01 · Resubmitting

Previously rejected applicants.

Founders seeking a stronger, evidence-based resubmission that resolves prior gaps with the endorser.

Resolve & resubmit

02 · First-time

New or reapplying visa candidates.

Founders who need a credible product plan that endorsing bodies will actually back.

Build the plan

03 · Already in

Current visa holders.

Founders who must hit Home Office checkpoints to extend, switch or progress to ILR.

Hit your milestones

04 · Operators

Founders & startups.

Teams that need a fractional product unit to deliver milestones on time, on budget, on visa.

Ship with us

The IVS Framework: Innovation · Viability · Scalability

How our plan maps
to Home Office criteria.

Every workstream is engineered to evidence one of the three pillars endorsers actually score against. No padding.

Pillar 01

Innovation

Defensible, first-of-its-kind product or service in the UK.
Proprietary innovation via Brdge's 9-point co-creation methodology.
IP review and patentability assessment with AI and tech scoping.
UK design authority that demonstrates clear innovation in context.
Persistent R&D to improve product and meet new market demands.

Pillar 02

Viability

Founder-led, founder-validated. Designed around your profile.
You hold design authority throughout the entire process.
Business plan aligned with your professional expertise.
Innovation narrative crafted around your lived experience.
Sustainable market delivery and operational leadership.

Pillar 03

Scalability

MVP with KPI hooks and traction signals.
Go-to-market strategy with YoY financial forecasts.
Early-adopter pilot customers and scalable architecture.
Option to create a SaaS for licencing British tech overseas.
Competitive edge by integrating innovation with commercial scale.

The 9-Point Co-Creation Methodology

From strategy to shipped
product, in nine steps.

Four phases. Nine deliberate deliverables. Each one maps to the evidence endorsers need to see and touch.

Strategy & Narrative

Entrepreneurship & Innovation Workshops

Founder-first workshop using the Brdge Circles Canvas: values, North Star Metric, innovation narrative.

Strategy & Narrative

Business Plan & Team Planning

Co-authored 40-page business and financial plan with integrated talent and HR allocation.

Strategy & Narrative

Go-to-Market & Forecasts

Investor-grade financial model, phased UK roll-out, 90-day launch calendar.

Market Research

Primary & Secondary Research

Surveys, focus groups, AI-scraped trends, sizing, competitor and pricing benchmarks.

Market Research

Evidence of Innovation

Pilot introductions, usage analytics, testimonials, UK design-authority proof.

Tech & Product

Tech Scoping & Roadmap

Horizon scan, compliance, risk register, architecture diagram, 12-week sprint plan.

Tech & Product

Initial UX/UI Design

Figma screens, click-through demos, simple style guide, build brief.

Tech & Product

Prototype Build

Brdge dev team builds a functional prototype: core flows, brochure website, branding.

Legal

IP Review

Novelty searches, freedom-to-operate, provisional filing support with external lawyer.

The Timeline

Six weeks of work.
Then submission.

A clear path from first call to endorser submission. Concierge support carries you through weeks seven and eight.

Activity & Deliverable

01 · Entrepreneur Workshops

Innovation Thesis + Brdge Circles & Lean Canvas

02 · Business Plan Support

40-page Business Plan + Assumptions Log

W2–W3

03 · GTM & Financial Forecasts

36-month model + GTM one-pager + pricing

W3–W4

04 · Market Research

Survey + interviews + TAM/SAM/SOM dashboard

W2–W3

05 · Evidence of Innovation

UK Pilot Pack: intros, demos, testimonials

W3–W5

06 · Tech Scoping & Roadmap

Architecture + Build/Buy/Partner + Spec

07 · UX/UI Design

Clickable Figma prototype + style guide

W4–W5

08 · Prototype Build

Live prototype + brochure website + analytics

W5–W6

09 · IP Review

Novelty + Freedom-to-Operate + Filing Strategy

★ Endorser Submission

Evidence pack + endorser liaison + responses

W7–W8

Strategy & Narrative Research & Validation Tech & Product Legal & IP Endorser Submission

What You Walk Away With

Four modules.
One submission-ready pack.

The whole program, organised into the four things endorsers and investors actually read, review and trust.

Strategy & Narrative

Business Planning & Narrative.

The Innovation Thesis, the canvases, the 40-page plan, the financial model, the GTM. The story endorsers and investors actually read, mapped to Innovation, Viability and Scalability.

Innovation ThesisBrdge Circles + Lean Canvas40-page Business Plan36-month Financial ModelGTM & Pricing

Research & Validation

Research & Validation.

Turn assumptions into evidence. Primary research, secondary sizing and live pilots through the Brdge partner network. Hard proof your solution solves a real UK problem.

Pulse survey (n≈100–300)Expert interviewsTAM/SAM/SOMUK Pilot PackEndorser-ready testimonials

Tech & Product

Tech & Product.

Architecture, UX/UI and a working prototype, built by Brdge's senior product and engineering teams, ready for endorser review and your visa data room.

Architecture & Tech Spec12-week roadmapClickable Figma prototypeLive working prototypeBrochure site + analytics

Legal & IP

Legal & IP.

Novelty searches, freedom-to-operate and a UK-first filing strategy. The innovation evidence the Home Office expects, with lawyers paid directly on an advisory basis.

Novelty & FTO checksOpen-source & licence reviewUK-first filing strategyTrade-secret plan

Who We Are

A data & AI consultancy with a
strong endorsement track record.

We partner with SMEs, FTSE 100s and Global Fortune 500s. We've shipped 200+ Innovator Founder applications for international entrepreneurs, and built a track record the Home Office now recognises by name.

200+

Innovator Applications

98%

Endorser Success Rate

£1B+

Shipped by Founders

£15M

Saved at Accenture

F100

& Fortune 500 Clients

Forbes 30 Under 30 · Heathrow Export Champion · Twice Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism winner

The Team

Three operators.
Millions in shipped outcomes.

The Launchpad is led by exited founders who have lived every milestone you're about to face. From first sale, to first hire, to nine-figure exit.

Strategy

Co-Founder & CEO

Akshay Ruparelia

Founded Doorsteps.co.uk at 17. Grew it into the UK's 3rd-largest online estate agency with £1B+ in property sales. Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe. Britain's youngest self-made millionaire.

AI & Data

Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Saachin Bhatt

The youngest Data & AI Consultant at Accenture globally. Advanced AI across Finance, Insurance, Aerospace and Defence, generating £15M in savings for FTSE 100 clients. Chartered IT Professional.

Ventures

Venture Lead

Afzaal Mauthoor

Award-winning conservationist and technologist. Decarbonised 1,000 bitcoins. Co-founded Nettle Pay, a $25M green blockchain company now operating as a digital bank in Dubai.

0 → 1 Portfolio

Real ventures.
Real outcomes.

Brdge Launchpad has built and launched a diverse portfolio of companies from zero to one. Sector-agnostic, all launched 0 → 1 with Brdge.

0 → 1

HealthTech · NHS

Workforce intelligence for healthcare. Smart shift-matching that fills rotas faster and keeps frontline teams fully staffed.

0 → 1

PropTech · Consumer

Your all-in-one home-moving assistant. Discover, book and manage every essential service in one app, from movers to broadband.

0 → 1

EdTech · Talent

The apprenticeship platform connecting top UK talent with FTSE employers. Matching, application tracking and AI CV building in one place.

0 → 1

FinTech · AI

AI-driven paraplanning. Faster, smarter, safer. Automates the admin, not the judgment, customised on the fly for advisory firms.

0 → 1

HealthTech · Consumer

Eye health intelligence in your pocket. Daily insights on hydration, screen time and lifestyle, scored against a personal Eye Vitality Index.

0 → 1

HealthTech · Voice AI

Voice-led games for dementia care. Built around stress-tested cognitive research and field-validated with carers across the UK.

0 → 1

MusicTech · AI

An AI-powered DJ ecosystem. Intelligent mixing, curation and live performance tools that adapt to the crowd in real time.

0 → 1

Wellness · Spiritual Tech

A modern gateway to ancient practice. Guided meditation, astrology and ritual, reimagined for a daily digital wellbeing routine.

Strategic Partnerships

Beyond the build.
A community in your corner.

Exclusive, high-leverage collaborations that unlock funding, legal infrastructure and London's most connected member community. You don't land alone, you land plugged in.

Members' Club

Founder Offers

Founder Offers

Founder Offers

Capital Club

Capital Club

Capital Club

Members' Club

1Club

1club.london

Brdge partners exclusively with 1Club, offering our community discounted memberships to London's premier private members' club. Networking, collaboration and growth opportunities under one roof.

Discounted membership

Founder Offers, credits & partnerships

Connectd

connectd.co

The UK's leading platform for matching businesses with non-executive directors, advisors and investors.

First 3–6 months free

Grantify

grantify.io

Streamlined access to government grants and funding, accelerated by expert grant-writing support.

Non-dilutive capital

SeedLegals

seedlegals.com

Fast-tracked investment-readiness tools and legal infrastructure. Fundraising, cap-table and compliance in one.

Investment-ready

Capital Club, global ecosystem of VCs & Angels

Haatch

haatch.com

One of the UK's most prolific pre-seed and seed investors. SEIS/EIS-backed funding, 150+ B2B SaaS investments and a portfolio valued over £1bn.

SEIS / EIS

SFC Capital

sfccapital.com

The UK's most active seed-stage investor. 500+ startups backed with exits including Onfido and Cognism.

SEIS / EIS network

Global Ventures

global.vc

A Dubai-based VC backing growth-stage technology companies across emerging markets, for founders scaling beyond the UK.

Scale beyond the UK

Let's Build

We look forward to our partnership.

Tell us about your venture. If you fit one of our founder profiles, we'll co-build the plan, the product and the proof that gets you submission-ready in six weeks.

Brdge is not an immigration adviser or law firm. The UK Gateway Programme prepares your business case and product evidence for endorsement; applicants should take regulated immigration advice for the visa application itself.

The launchpad for the UK's next great founders.

The opportunity is real.The route to unlock it is not.

A market that rewards real innovation.

A legitimate path to call it home.

A community of operators who get it.

Built for operators.Most applicationsread like decks.

One rejection. Twelve months lost.

Who it's for.

Previously rejected applicants.

New or reapplying visa candidates.

Current visa holders.

Founders & startups.

How our plan mapsto Home Office criteria.

Innovation

Viability

Scalability

From strategy to shippedproduct, in nine steps.

Entrepreneurship & Innovation Workshops

Business Plan & Team Planning

Go-to-Market & Forecasts

Primary & Secondary Research

Evidence of Innovation

Tech Scoping & Roadmap

Initial UX/UI Design

Prototype Build

IP Review

Six weeks of work.Then submission.

Four modules.One submission-ready pack.

Business Planning & Narrative.

Research & Validation.

Tech & Product.

Legal & IP.

A data & AI consultancy with astrong endorsement track record.

Three operators.Millions in shipped outcomes.

Akshay Ruparelia

Saachin Bhatt

Afzaal Mauthoor

Real ventures.Real outcomes.

Beyond the build.A community in your corner.

We look forward to our partnership.

The opportunity is real.
The route to unlock it is not.

Built for operators.
Most applications
read like decks.

How our plan maps
to Home Office criteria.

From strategy to shipped
product, in nine steps.

Six weeks of work.
Then submission.

Four modules.
One submission-ready pack.

A data & AI consultancy with a
strong endorsement track record.

Three operators.
Millions in shipped outcomes.

Real ventures.
Real outcomes.

Beyond the build.
A community in your corner.