Scaling Founders UK calls for a national focus on founder quality to strengthen the UK startup ecosystem

Scaling Founders, a Europe and UK-based initiative focused on improving long-term startup outcomes, is calling for a renewed focus on founder quality as a critical factor in the UK’s ambition to build a globally competitive startup ecosystem.

The organisation argues that while the UK has made significant progress in funding, talent attraction, and innovation infrastructure, there remains no consistent framework for assessing or developing founder readiness at scale.

“Capital, technology, and ambition are necessary, but they are not sufficient,” said Alex McNab-Lundbäck, Co-Founder of Scaling Founders UK. “Without deliberate investment in founder capability, ecosystems remain fragile and outcomes remain unpredictable.”

Scaling Founders believes that improving founder quality requires a systemic approach, including shared standards, evidence-based methodologies, and long-term measurement. The organisation is currently planning to launch what it describes as a ‘Founder Index’ – a framework designed to help governments, investors, and ecosystem builders better understand and improve founder capability over time.

The initiative aligns with recent public discussions about strengthening the UK’s startup and scale-up environment and competing with leading global ecosystems. Scaling Founders emphasises that founder development should be treated as long-term economic infrastructure rather than short-term intervention.

Further details about the methodology and initiatives are expected to be shared in the New year, while more info can be found at www.scalingfounders.uk

Notes to editors
Scaling Founders is an initiative working across Europe, the UK, and South Africa to improve startup outcomes through structured founder development, ecosystem alignment, and long-term measurement. The organisation focuses on founder quality as a key driver of sustainable scale-up success.