Antidote, an accelerator newly founded in London, has launched. The company has received £2.5 million in funding from Fulgur Ventures, Initial Capital amongst others.
Antidote, with offices near London’s Farringdon station, aims to promote growth in the UK and to support entrepreneurs in Britain to build on open technologies, starting with Bitcoin and fintech.
It offers selected founders access to free office space, mentoring, contact to investors and legal experts, and an ecosystem full of founders to grow alongside. In short – an unfair advantage for Bitcoin startups.
Why is Antidote Focusing on Bitcoin?
The leadership team at Antidote has observed that while Bitcoin is the most established cryptocurrency, it’s underserved in the startup world. Antidote’s team believes the next wave of fintech innovation, from payments to banking services to insurance, will be built on Bitcoin.
What Does Antidote Offer?
Antidote is keen to support early-stage entrepreneurs, experienced operators and corporate innovators, Antidote wants to empower founders from any background to turn serious ideas into investable, commercially viable businesses. Its programmes support founders working on:
- Financial and payments infrastructure.
- Digital identity and data sovereignty.
- Bitcoin and open-source technologies.
- Institutional and regulatory alignment for fintech innovation.
Ben Cousens, Co-Founder and CEO of Antidote, shared how: “We’re here for entrepreneurs turning new technology into real impact. Whether it’s Bitcoin, fintech, or leveraging AI and online identity, Antidote can offer the capital, community, and credibility to scale.
The UK has the potential to lead this new wave of innovation. We just need to back the people building and focus on solving real problems: that’s what matters.”
The UK has dropped behind countries like Pakistan, Vietnam, Russia and Ukraine in the Chainalysis 2025 Global Adoption Index. This is despite having one of the best ecosystems to foster startups and innovative companies in the fintech and wider crypto space. Cousens believes that something like Antidote has been missing in London and that it can provide a bridge between founders and institutions.
He added how “that’s what Antidote is here to build.”
Through its workspace and network in Central London, Antidote will offer founders access to:
- A six-month accelerator programme with workspace, workshops, and demo days.
- Direct funding and investor introductions.
- Mentorship from leading fintech, Bitcoin, and venture experts.
- Community events and policy roundtables with UK regulators and ecosystem partners.
Working in partnership with organisations such as UK think-tank Bitcoin Policy UK, Antidote aims to enable access to a network that can bridge grassroots innovation with institutional support.
What About the UK Crypto Scene?
The United Kingdom is home to many crypto leaders such as Quant, R3, Applied Blockchain and many others. Whilst there are many accelerators already supporting startup founders in the UK, there has not been a dedicated crypto accelerator so far.
The problem was highlighted when a16z, a leading crypto investor, left London in January 2025. There may be several events serving crypto in the UK capital, but apart from long-term fintech accelerators like Level39, the choice for entrepreneurs has been limited. Perhaps things will change as Antidote offers an alternative and some hope for a UK crypto future.
Author: Andy Samu
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