Digital Catapult

What Digital Catapult does

Digital Catapult is a UK government-backed deep tech innovation organisation operating as part of the Innovate UK Catapult Network, with headquarters in London and four regional centres across England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Founded in 2013, the organisation operates more than 20 advanced technology facilities — including SONIC Labs (the UK's first O-RAN Alliance-accredited Open Testing and Integration Centre), the UK Digital Twin Centre in Belfast, 5G Testbeds, Immersive Labs, Future Networks Lab, Advanced Media Production Studios, and Dimension Studio — providing testbed infrastructure that startups, scaleups, and corporates cannot access independently. Its programme portfolio spans accelerator cohorts (Black Founders Programme, Defence Testbed Accelerator, BridgeAI), technology access programmes (Quantum Technology Access Programme, SONIC Labs Technology Access Programme), sector initiatives (GridFlex for energy, Digital Supply Chain Hub for manufacturing, Hydrogen Innovation Initiative), and direct startup investments (£400k in Immersely, £510k in Productive Machines, £500k in Exabler).

The organisation serves four primary customer segments: startups and scaleups (investment readiness and accelerator support), large corporates (deep tech adoption consulting and supply chain resilience), UK government and public sector (DSIT, MoD, Innovate UK, Ofcom programme delivery), and academia (collaborative R&D with universities including Bristol, Cranfield, UCL, and York). Its business model is predominantly grant-funded through Innovate UK, UKRI Strength in Places Fund, Belfast Region City Deal, and departmental allocations from DSIT and DCMS, with a supplementary commercial layer introduced via a flagship paid membership programme launched November 2025 and modular Innovation Services priced at £15,000+VAT per module. Since 2018 it has supported approximately 3,000 companies and its portfolio startups have raised over £572m in investment. Leadership comprises Interim CEO David Bletso, Chair Benjamin Story, and a board of Non-Executive Directors spanning venture capital, AWS energy transition, BBC media, UCL HCI, and Siemens industrial transformation.

Name

Digital Catapult

Legal name

Digital Catapult

Website

https://digicatapult.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Digital Catapult is a UK government-backed deep tech innovation organisation, part of the Innovate UK Catapult Network, operating four regional centres and 20+ advanced technology facilities to accelerate deep tech adoption across startups, corporates, government, and academia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Deep Tech Innovation Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Emerging Tech (IoT, Blockchain, AR/VR, Edge) Consulting (BPAHAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Enterprise Architecture & Technology Roadmapping (BPAEAAAC), Emerging Tech & Specialized Computing (IoT, Edge, AR/VR, Blockchain, HPC) (EDABAFAO), Digital Learning Content Development (eLearning, Labs, Simulations) (BPAEANAD)

Keywords

• Deep tech innovation
• Technology acceleration services
• 5G and connectivity labs
• Digital twin technology
• Advanced media production

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Grants: Digital Catapult receives significant funding as part of the Innovate UK Catapult Network, with various programmes funded by UKRI, Belfast Region City Deal, and other government initiatives.
2. Innovation Services: Modular service suite providing frameworks, tools, and expertise to high-growth UK companies. Each module costs £15,000 + VAT for commercialisation, AI support, solution design, and Advanced Media Production services.
3. Programme Delivery: Delivery of accelerator programmes, technology access programmes, and innovation challenges for government and industry partners.
4. Membership Programme: Flagship membership programme launched November 2025 offering networking, innovation support, and facilities access to startups, corporates, and community members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Digital Catapult accelerates the practical application of advanced digital technologies (deep tech) for UK businesses. It operates advanced technology testbed facilities (5G, Open RAN, quantum, immersive, digital twins), runs accelerator and technology access programmes for startups and corporates, and delivers modular Innovation Services using a TRL-CRL framework. Its customers are UK startups, scaleups, corporates, government departments, and academic institutions.

Product overview

Digital Catapult is a deep tech innovation organization offering a platform-plus-programmes architecture. The core offerings include testbed facilities (5G Testbeds, Immersive Labs, Future Networks Lab, Advanced Media Production Studios, Dimension Studio, Open Networks Lab, 5G Immersive Lab), accelerator programmes (UK Digital Twin Centre, SONIC Labs, Black Founders Programme, Quantum Technology Access Programme, BridgeAI, Defence Testbed Accelerator, Tenfold NetZero, Smart Nano NI, MyWorld), and Innovation Services using a TRL-CRL framework. These work together as an integrated ecosystem where startups and industry partners access facilities for testing, participate in targeted accelerator programmes, and receive commercial readiness support through Innovation Services. The Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub and GridFlex Programme extend this to specific sector challenges in manufacturing and energy respectively.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SONIC Labs: SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre - a world-leading innovation programme and R&D facility for testing Open RAN technologies, co-delivered with Ofcom and funded by DSIT.
• UK Digital Twin Centre
• Black Founders Programme
• Smart Nano NI

Products and services

• Innovation Services Modular service suite providing frameworks, tools and expertise for high-growth UK companies to move from idea to market leader, using the TRL-CRL framework. Modules cover commercialisation, AI support, solution design, and Advanced Media Production services. Each module is priced at £15,000+VAT. Target customers are high-growth startups and SMEs seeking commercialisation support.
• Digital Catapult Membership Programme Flagship annual membership programme offering networking, innovation support, and facilities access to startups, corporates, and community members to accelerate deep tech adoption in UK industries. Launched November 2025.
• UK Digital Twin Centre Centre delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, making digital twins more accessible and meaningful across UK industries. Targets aerospace, maritime, defence, logistics, and manufacturing sectors.
• SONIC Labs (SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre) World-leading Open RAN innovation programme and R&D facility in central London, providing Test-as-a-Service for O-RAN interoperability and integration testing, funded by DSIT and co-delivered with Ofcom. UK government's first OTIC-accredited Open Testing and Integration Centre.
• Black Founders Programme Accelerator targeted at early stage and pre-seed Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services for the UK's creative economy. Delivered in partnership with Sony Music UK, Sony Music Publishing, and Channel 4.
• Quantum Technology Access Programme (QTAP) Programme supporting UK industry in adopting quantum computing technology through training, experimentation, and support for organisations across energy, healthcare, and finance sectors. Phase 2 launched March 2026 covering up to twelve organisations.
• BridgeAI Innovate UK programme driving adoption of responsible AI in economic and social sectors. Includes sub-programmes AI for Decarbonisation (ADViCE), High Growth AI Accelerator, and Sustainable Manufacturing Programme.
• Defence Testbed Accelerator Accelerator programme in partnership with UK Ministry of Defence and High Value Manufacturing Catapult to strengthen resilience, security and agility of UK's defence supply chain through secure data sharing and additive manufacturing.
• Tenfold NetZero Accelerator Innovation programme partnered with DAERA providing local businesses with support for net zero innovation challenges in agri-food sector, including on-farm animal feed tracking.
• Smart Nano NI Northern Ireland consortium developing advanced prototyping and smart manufacturing technologies with focus on nano manufacturing and photonics, led by Seagate. Total project value £63.9m funded by £42.4m from UKRI's Strength in Places Fund.
• Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub Digital innovation ecosystem creating a virtual hub, data observatory, and network of industrial living labs to optimise information flows across UK manufacturing supply chains.
• Hydrogen Innovation Programme Programme focused on deployment of hydrogen technologies to address pressing energy and environmental challenges, supporting the development of green hydrogen certification solutions.
• GridFlex Programme Partnership programme with Energy Systems Catapult, funded by Innovate UK, to accelerate practical application of deep tech for energy flexibility through consumer-led flexibility solutions.
• MyWorld UKRI Strength in Places funded flagship programme for UK's creative technology sector, led by University of Bristol. Positions West of England as a trailblazer in screen-based media.
• Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator Accelerator programme supporting nine pioneering digital twin projects from SMEs across the UK in aerospace, maritime, defence, logistics and manufacturing sectors, backed by the £37.6m UK Digital Twin Centre initiative.
• Open Networks Lab Collaborative testing environment for interoperability and integration of open, disaggregated, and software-centric network solutions and multi-vendor architectures. OTIC-accredited for O-RAN testing and certification.
• 5G Immersive Lab State-of-the-art 5G Immersive Lab launched in partnership with North East Combined Authority, providing testing facilities for immersive applications and advanced connectivity solutions in Newcastle city centre.
• 5G Testbeds Fully functional cellular technology facilities that help bring solutions out of R&D for testing as early real-world deployments, providing open access and expert technical support to innovators and companies.
• Immersive Labs Facilities built to encourage and support the UK's growing immersive community in developing commercially viable immersive content and applications, including VR, AR and haptics technologies.
• Future Networks Lab Laboratory created to support adoption of IoT and 5G technologies, bringing together network, services, platform and solutions providers in a technology-agnostic space.
• Advanced Media Production Studios UK's first network of advanced media production studios built to enable research and innovation in content production, including virtual production capabilities.
• Dimension Studio State-of-the-art volumetric video and 3D capture studio for the next generation of immersive content creation.

Quantifiable outcome

• £572m investment raised by 272 startups since 2018
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability15 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Innovate UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Catapult is part of the Innovate UK Catapult Network, receiving significant government funding and supporting businesses in transforming ideas into valuable products and services.
• Ministry of DefencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefence Testbed Accelerator programme in partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to strengthen resilience, security and agility of UK's defence supply chain.
• High Value Manufacturing CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on Digital Supply Chain Hub and Defence Testbed Accelerator, providing ultra-secure digital testbed capabilities for supply chain innovation.
• National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Quantum Technology Access Programme (QTAP) supporting UK industry in adopting quantum computing technology through training, experimentation, and support.
• ØrstedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Digital Innovation Challenge supporting UK-based innovators AIM Group and Entopy in developing AI solutions for offshore wind farm operations across Ørsted's 12 UK wind farms.
• Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Digital Innovation Challenge for AI-driven solutions for offshore wind operations and maintenance.
• Sony Music UKcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership delivering Black Founders Programme supporting early-stage Black-founded companies in the UK's creative economy with investment readiness support.
• Sony Music PublishingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership delivering Black Founders Programme supporting early-stage Black-founded companies in creative tech.
• Channel 4coreGTM or Marketing Partner2025 collaboration on Black Founders Programme to support Black entrepreneurs in the creative tech industry.
• Energy Systems CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through GridFlex Programme, funded by Innovate UK, to accelerate practical application of deep tech in energy flexibility.
• University of BristolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading MyWorld, a UKRI Strength in Places funded flagship programme for UK's creative technology sector, positioning West of England as trailblazer.
• The Alan Turing InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic R&D accelerator partnership through UK Digital Twin Centre to accelerate digital twin innovation with leading universities.
• Cranfield UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic R&D accelerator partnership through UK Digital Twin Centre for digital twin innovation research.
• OfcomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-delivering SONIC Labs programme with Ofcom, providing independent evidence base on Open RAN technologies.
• VodafonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined Quantum Technology Access Programme exploring quantum computing to optimise telecoms network operations.
• BAE SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined Quantum Technology Access Programme exploring quantum solutions for defence and security applications.
• National Physical Laboratory (NPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on Digital Supply Chain Hub creating collaborative and ultra-secure digital testbed for supply chain innovation.
• TWI LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on Digital Supply Chain Hub providing expertise in manufacturing and joining technologies.
• Seagate TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Smart Nano NI consortium developing advanced prototyping and smart manufacturing technologies in Northern Ireland.
• Henry Royce InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported AI and advanced materials workstream as part of 'The UK at the AI Frontier: Challenges and Opportunities' report.
• BBCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with BBC on AI prototypes for content production and creative industry innovation.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• High Value Manufacturing Catapult: Sister Catapult Network member focused on UK advanced manufacturing. Both organizations share the Innovate UK Catapult funding model, regional centre structure, and mission of accelerating technology adoption in UK industry; they collaborate directly on the Digital Supply Chain Hub and Defence Testbed Accelerator.
• Connected Places Catapult: Another Innovate UK Catapult Network member focused on transport, urban services, and place-based innovation. Shares the same non-profit Catapult operating model, Innovate UK funding relationship, and objective of accelerating deep tech adoption across UK industry.
• Energy Systems Catapult: Sister Catapult Network member focused on energy innovation; Digital Catapult's direct partner on the GridFlex Programme. Operates under the same Innovate UK Catapult Network structure with shared governance and funding mechanisms, but serves a different deep tech vertical.
• Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult: Sister Catapult Network member in offshore renewables; partners with Digital Catapult on the Digital Innovation Challenge for AI-driven offshore wind solutions. Operates under the same Innovate UK Catapult Network structure.
• Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult: Sister Catapult Network member focused on cell and gene therapy; operates under the same Innovate UK Catapult Network structure, funding model, and mission of accelerating UK industry adoption of emerging technologies.
• UK Quantum Technology Catapult (NQCC): National Quantum Computing Centre operating as part of the UK's national quantum technology programme. Direct partner on the Quantum Technology Access Programme (QTAP) and shares the mission of accelerating UK quantum adoption.

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Institute: Germany's largest application-oriented research organization, government-funded and operating multiple institutes across emerging technology domains. Comparable as a European government-backed deep tech innovation intermediary, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope than Digital Catapult.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch government-funded applied research organization that bridges research and commercial application of advanced technologies. Comparable mission and operating model to Digital Catapult, though significantly larger and operating in a different national context.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finnish government-owned applied research organization working across emerging technologies. Comparable as a European state-backed deep tech innovation intermediary serving industry and government clients.

Others

• Innovate UK: Primary funder and parent organization within UKRI that established and funds the Catapult Network including Digital Catapult. Provides significant grants and is a core strategic partner across Digital Catapult's programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DigiCatapult
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/DigitalCatapult
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digital-catapult
• Facebookfacebook.com/DigitalCatapult

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments16 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Digital Catapult