Who can endorse a new Innovator Founder in October 2026

If you read the GOV.UK endorsing bodies page for the first time, the length of it is misleading. Around 60 organisations are named. A founder who has never been endorsed before, and who has not been invited onto a government programme, can realistically approach three of them.

This article sets out who those three are, where the Global Entrepreneurs Programme fits, why the rest of the page does not apply to new applicants, and what the stability of this list since 2024 means for your planning.

The four routes to an endorsement, side by side

The GOV.UK page groups endorsers into three categories. Only two of them are open to new founders, and one of those is closed unless you have been invited.

For most applicants, then, the practical choice is between three organisations. If you want a deeper look at how two of them assess applications, see the three endorsing bodies compared and choosing an endorsement body.

What every endorser is checking for

Whichever body you approach, the caseworker guidance (version 11.0, published 4 August 2026) sets out what the endorsing body has to be satisfied of before it issues a new-business endorsement. In summary, the business plan must be:

• Innovative — a genuine, original plan that meets new or existing market needs and/or creates a competitive advantage.
• Viable — realistic and achievable given the applicant's resources, with the applicant having, or actively developing, the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and market awareness.
• Scalable — showing evidence of structured planning and potential for job creation and growth into national and international markets.

The endorsing body must state that it is satisfied and give a short description of why. The applicant must also have generated or significantly contributed to the plan, have a day-to-day role, be the sole founder or an instrumental member of the founding team, and agree to at least two contact point meetings.

For first endorsements issued after 13 April 2023, the letter must also confirm three things about the person and the money: that the applicant is a fit and proper person, that there are no concerns over the legitimacy of the sources of funds or how they were transferred, and that there is no reason to believe the applicant or the business benefits from illicit or unsatisfactorily explained wealth. These checks apply regardless of which of the three bodies you use. We look at them in more detail in source of funds checks at endorsement.

Where the Global Entrepreneurs Programme fits

The GEP appears on the same page but works differently. GOV.UK describes it as endorsing only founders who have already been invited onto its programme, and a 16 March 2026 update to the page specified that the GEP can only endorse for Innovator Founder, not Scale-up.

In practical terms, the GEP is not a body you apply to cold for an endorsement. If you have not been invited onto its programme, your options are the three Business Endorsing Bodies. We cover the GEP position separately in the Global Entrepreneurs Programme after the March 2026 update.

Why the legacy list does not help new founders

The bulk of the page is the legacy list: organisations that endorsed under the old Start-up and Innovator routes. GOV.UK is explicit that these bodies do not take new Start-up or Innovator applications, only maintain and monitor existing endorsees, and should not be approached unless you are an existing endorsee.

The caseworker guidance reinforces this. A new-business letter from a legacy body is only accepted if it was issued before 13 April 2023 for the Innovator route and the applicant previously held Start-up permission with the same body. A same-business letter from a legacy body is only accepted where the applicant has, or in the previous 12 months had, Innovator Founder permission with that same body.

The legacy list is also shrinking. In 2026 alone, the change log records the removal of Community and Business Partners (17 February), Innovate Britain (20 April), MedCity and NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator (5 August) and SFC Capital (7 August). If you are an existing legacy endorsee, read the legacy endorsing bodies wind-down and what happens when an endorsing body leaves the list.

What "no change since 2024" tells you

According to the GOV.UK change log, there have been no changes to the Business Endorsing Bodies list since 2024. Everything that moved on the page in 2026 concerned the GEP clarification and legacy removals.

That stability is useful for planning. You can research the three bodies, compare their processes and prepare for a specific assessment style without worrying that the shortlist will change under you mid-preparation. It does not mean the list can never change: the Home Office can add or remove bodies, and the Migration Advisory Committee's Talent Review of the Global Talent and Innovator Founder routes had not published its final report as of 22 October 2026. Any recommendation it makes about the route is unknown, and it would be speculation to say whether it will touch endorsement arrangements.

The sensible approach is to check the GOV.UK page itself, including its change log, at the point you start preparing and again before you apply.

Costs to budget for

GOV.UK states the endorsement costs £1,000, plus £500 per contact point meeting, with at least two contact point meetings. The Home Office fees table notes these endorsing body fees are exclusive of VAT. They are paid to the endorsing body, separately from the Home Office visa fee (£1,357 from outside the UK, £1,693 when extending or switching inside the UK, per person) and the healthcare surcharge.

For a fuller breakdown, see the endorsement fee structure for 2026.

Sources and further reading

• GOV.UK — Endorsing bodies: Innovator Founder and Scale-up visas
• GOV.UK — Innovator Founder visa
• GOV.UK — Innovator Founder caseworker guidance
• GOV.UK — Visa regulations revised table (fees)
• GOV.UK — Migration Advisory Committee

Key takeaways

• Three Business Endorsing Bodies accept new Innovator Founder applicants: UK Endorsing Services, Innovator International and Envestors Limited.
• The Global Entrepreneurs Programme endorses for Innovator Founder only, and only founders it has already invited onto its programme.
• Legacy endorsing bodies take no new applications and the legacy list lost five names in 2026.
• The Business Endorsing Bodies list has not changed since 2024, but check the GOV.UK page before you apply.
• Every endorser applies the same innovative, viable and scalable test plus the post-April 2023 fit-and-proper and source-of-funds confirmations.
• Not sure which body suits your plan? Run a free assessment to see where your case is strongest.

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