Accelerators
HII has developed and implemented accelerators that supported over 50 companies.
Companies that participated in the Accelerator programmes have gone on to raise over £10m of private investment and have innovation projects in the pipeline totalling over £1m.
If you are an investor or innovator and are interested in HII’s future accelerators, please e-mail [email protected]
North West Hydrogen Innovation Challenge
This 9-month programme accelerated the commercial growth of 10 pioneering UK hydrogen startups, helping them scale their solutions and make a real impact on the hydrogen economy. There was engagement from over 10 large corporates.
The programme facilitated over 200 end-user interactions and 23 industry expert introductions, helping startups build the connections they need to scale. But it wasn’t just external connections that mattered—participants highlighted the value of peer-to-peer collaboration within the cohort.
A standout moment was the Innovator Roundtable at Sustainable Ventures’ County Hall space in London – Europe’s largest hub for climate tech, where participants shared insights, challenges, and opportunities.
The programme culminated in a Hydrogen Innovation Showcase in Manchester. Over 100 attendees from across the hydrogen economy came together to celebrate the achievements of the 10 participating organisations.



Golden Ticket Programme
In this ‘venture development’ programme, 11 companies in the hydrogen supply chain were helped to maximise their commercial impact. They underwent intensive workshops to refine customer discovery, value propositions and fundraising strategies.
The winner, HydRegen, is now incubated at the Wilton Centre.

Venture Building Programme
This programme was conducted by Connected Places Catapult in partnership with Thames Free Port and supported 6 SMEs. The programme focus areas were: 1) Last-Mile Logistics for Perishable Goods: Revolutionizing the delivery of perishable goods using hydrogen-powered vehicles and infrastructure. 2) Hydrogen Infrastructure Development: Building the backbone for a robust hydrogen economy along the Thames, including production, conversion, and distribution facilities.
The programme laid the foundations for a unified approach blending public funds, private innovation and strategic collaboration. A Letter of Intent has been obtained from a private investor to inject £10m into a fund as part of phase 2 of this programme.
SME Support and Debt Financing
This programme was conducted by Energy Systems Catapult and included two components: Firstly, 18 SMEs in the hydrogen sector were interviewed in depth to understand their barriers as they approach commercialisation. The inputs are now contributing to HII’s future plans.
The second component was a report that explored debt financing for hydrogen projects. Projects in energy markets often use debt financing because it is cheaper than equity and enables rapid scaling. The question this report set out to answer is whether low carbon hydrogen projects can/are able to access this type of funding.
Read the report here: Debt-financing-low-carbon-hydrogen-projects-in-the-UK.pdf
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