The Monetary Occasions (FT) has launched its annual Europe’s Main Begin-Up Hubs listing, showcasing the highest European hubs supporting progressive entrepreneurs with incubators and accelerator packages.
Among the many 150 hubs featured within the 2025 listing, six are acknowledged for his or her contributions to the fintech and insurtech sectors, driving innovation and progress in these industries.
Europe’s Main Begin-Up Hubs, now in its second version, is a rating of the highest facilities for startup founders trying to construct or develop an organization. The rating, produced in collaboration with Statista and Sifted, highlights essentially the most outstanding and influential hubs and ecosystems in Europe that present incubation and acceleration help.
These hubs had been chosen by a two-phase analysis course of.
In Part 1, round 3,000 potential hubs had been invited to register, supplied they met standards similar to providing incubation or acceleration packages, having a bodily European location, and being operational since 2020. In Part 2, alumni from these hubs evaluated their experiences in areas like mentoring, infrastructure, authorized assist, enterprise growth, networking, and funding, producing an Alumni Rating.
Buyers and entrepreneurs additionally supplied their assessments, contributing to an Knowledgeable Rating. Details about essentially the most profitable startups from every hubs was additionally collected, forming a Monitor Report Rating.
An Total Rating for every hub was then calculated by taking a weighted common of those three scores, offering a complete image of every startup hub’s means to help and develop profitable startups, and making it simpler to check startup hubs throughout Europe.
Within the 2025 Europe’s Main Begin-Up Hubs rating, 150 hubs had been featured, with the UK main the listing with 29 hubs. Germany adopted swimsuit with 19 hubs, whereas Spain and Portugal had a mixed complete of 24 hubs.
Among the many 150 hubs showcased on this 12 months’s version, six are devoted to fintech and insurtech innovation. In the present day, we take a better have a look at these hubs, exploring what makes them premier locations for Europeans fintech entrepreneurs trying to take their companies to the following degree.
High fintech accelerators in Europe
The Lloyd’s Lab (UK)
The Lloyd’s Lab, primarily based within the UK, is a number one innovation hub for the insurance coverage {industry}. With an Total Rating of 83.219, the hub ranks thirteenth amongst Europe’s high startup hubs and first within the fintech and monetary providers {industry}.
Arrange in 2018, the Lloyd’s Lab is an award-winning area devoted to accelerating and fostering new merchandise and options for the insurance coverage sector. Situated within the coronary heart of the world’s specialist insurance coverage market, the Lloyd’s Lab provides insurtech startups entry to a co-working area within the iconic constructing and the possibility to develop their concepts alongside their audience.
The hub’s predominant program is a 10-week insurtech accelerator program, which goals to assist progressive concepts achieve traction and success. Members get mentorship from Lloyd’s market consultants and senior management, an opportunity to develop their concept at scale in partnership with the biggest insurance coverage market on the earth, and the chance to develop their community throughout the international insurance coverage and insurtech sectors.
The Lloyd’s Lab additionally runs different packages, together with the Product Launchpad, which connects insurers with progressive product ideas, and FutureMinds, a platform for coaching {industry} consultants in remodeling concepts into market-ready options.
The Home of Startups (Luxembourg)
The Home of Startups (HoST), established by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, is a key participant within the Luxembourg ecosystem. With an Total Rating of 80.86, the hub ranks twenty sixth amongst Europe’s high startup hubs and the second-best fintech accelerator on the continent.
HoST’s mission is to foster the event of startups and innovation whereas supporting the innovation wants of companies. For that, it hosts a dynamic ecosystem with three predominant incubators and accelerators, supporting as much as 175 startups.
The Luxembourg-Metropolis Incubator (LCI) is a startup incubator launched in September 2017 by the Chamber of Commerce with the Metropolis of Luxembourg as its predominant sponsor. It is among the bigger incubators hosted inside HoST, supporting startups in urbantech, atmosphere, commerce, building/housing, tourism and logistics.
The Home of Monetary Expertise (LHoFT) is a public-private sector initiative that’s devoted to advancing Luxembourg’s ambitions in fintech by acceleration packages, instructional initiatives, and collaborative initiatives like Catapult: Future Basis Program, which goals to create shared know-how options to enhance effectivity, scale back prices, and improve shopper experiences.
Lastly, le Village by CA Luxembourg (LVbyCA) is an innovation and startup hub positioned in Luxembourg, a part of the broader community of Village by CA. It connects startups with the community of French banking group Crédit Agricole, providing strategic progress alternatives.
Past its incubation and acceleration packages, HoST additionally collaborates with key ecosystem gamers for fundraising, sustainability initiatives and training. It additionally facilitates corporate-startup collaboration by the Luxembourg Open Innovation Membership (LOIC) and organizes occasions that enhance networking and visibility.
Techleap (The Netherlands)
Techleap, primarily based within the Netherlands, is a number one non-profit group devoted to accelerating the nation’s tech ecosystem. With an Total Rating of 80.595, the hub ranks twenty ninth amongst Europe’s high startup hubs and the third-best fintech accelerator and incubator on the continent.
Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Financial Affairs, Techleap’s mission is to help startups and scaleups by enhancing entry to capital, markets, and expertise. To take action, it affords specialised packages to assist tech founders navigate challenges similar to hiring, fundraising, and worldwide enlargement.
The Rise program, previously often known as BOLD, connects individuals with friends and main consultants to facilitate progress. In the meantime, the Shine program helps late-stage corporations making ready for preliminary public choices (IPOs) by peer-to-peer (P2P) mentoring. For deeptech startups, Pole Place offers entry to skilled entrepreneurs and strategic steerage to scale globally.
Lastly, the Tutorial Startup Competitors is the place to be for tutorial entrepreneurs to compete for a spot within the high 20 of essentially the most promising upcoming science primarily based startups within the Netherlands. Winners of the competitors are supplied entry to P2P periods with traders, skilled founders and consultants. In addition they obtain a world stage by media protection and networking occasions.
Past its structured packages, Techleap additionally hosts occasions, workshops, and initiatives designed to drive innovation and financial progress.
Founders Basis (Germany)
A outstanding startup ecosystem in Germany, the Founders Basis ranks forty fifth amongst Europe’s high startup hubs and the fourth-best fintech accelerator and incubator on the continent with an Total Rating of 78.737.
Based in 2016 in Bielefeld, the Founders Basis focuses on coaching the following era of profitable entrepreneurs and creating a sustainable business-to-business (B2B) startup ecosystem throughout the German Mittelstand. As a non-profit group, it performs an important function in fostering innovation, notably within the Ostwestfalen-Lippe area, the place it bridges conventional industries with new enterprise fashions.
The Founders Basis’s flagship initiative, the Hinterland of Issues convention, has change into one in all Germany’s main tech occasions, connecting startups, traders, and corporates every to drive innovation, notably in deeptech, synthetic intelligence (AI), and the Web-of-Issues (IoT).
The group additionally runs the Accelerator Program, which goals to assist B2B tech startups attain product-market match and put together for progress, focusing totally on buyer acquisition, product validation, and market positioning. This five-month, full-time program offers chosen groups with professional teaching, industry-specific workshops, and direct entry to Germany’s high traders and company leaders. Members profit from mentorship by skilled entrepreneurs and 24/7 entry to the Founders House coworking area.
Startup Leiria (Portugal)
Startup Leiria is a number one entrepreneurial ecosystem primarily based in Portugal. With an Total Rating of 77.604, Startup Leiria ranks 68th amongst Europe’s high startup hubs and the fifth-best fintech accelerator on the continent.
Established in 2004 as a non-profit affiliation by the Polytechnic of Leiria, the Enterprise Affiliation of the Leiria Area (NERLEI) and the Leiria Metropolis Council, Startup Leiria goals to offer important help and sources to entrepreneurs and rising startups, performing as a launchpad for bold entrepreneurs aiming for sustainable progress and international market success.
Its incubation mannequin contains workspaces, entry to partnerships and advantages that supply or make obtainable at a decrease price specialised providers, in addition to connections with mentors, enterprise capitalists (VCs) and different sources of financing. These packages are primarily based within the metropolis of Leiria, specializing in sectors together with info know-how, commerce, providers and tourism, amongst others.
Startup Leiria additionally promotes information sharing amongst incubators and organizes networking actions and occasions, similar to workshops and mentoring periods.
Insurtech Gateway (UK)
Insurtech Gateway is a specialist insurtech incubator and VC fund primarily based within the UK. With an Total Rating of 73, Insurtech Gateway ranks 139th amongst Europe high startup hubs and the sixth-best fintech accelerator and incubator on the continent.
Devoted to supporting early-stage insurtech startups, Insurtech Gateway affords a fast-track framework for launching and scaling progressive insurance coverage companies, together with managing basic brokers (MGAs) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) options. Its Insurtech Gateway Incubation program, hosted in each London and Sydney, affords hands-on help, regulatory steerage, underwriting capability, in addition to funding from Pre-Seed to Sequence A, serving to founders develop and commercialize breakthrough insurance coverage merchandise.
Insurtech Gateway has a portfolio of 45 corporations spanning 98 international locations. These corporations have pioneered 16 world-first improvements, earned 245 awards, and constructed sturdy partnerships with 75 main insurance coverage suppliers.
Among the many groundbreaking applied sciences backed by Insurtech Gateway the primary threat mannequin for offshore wind, the primary carbon credit score insurance coverage, and the primary resolution to insure milk yield.
Featured picture credit score: edited from freepik
