How Novus Capital Supports the Next Generation of UK Startups

Founder of Novus Capital, Jenson Brook has built his career around entrepreneurship, early-stage finance, and innovation funding. With a clear mission to rebalance access to capital across the UK, Novus Capital supports R&D-driven startups, particularly those based outside London.

Through long-term, founder-first partnerships and initiatives such as Britain’s Got Startups, Jenson is helping reshape how visibility, opportunity, and investment flow across the UK. We caught up with him to discuss his journey, his approach to funding, and the strengths of startups from the Celtic regions.

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Could you share your professional background, what led you to found or join Novus Capital, and the firm’s mission? What types of startups or founders does Novus Capital focus on supporting, and what makes your approach distinctive?

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My background is rooted in entrepreneurship, innovation funding, and early stage finance. Before founding Novus Capital, I spent years working closely with high growth businesses, both as an advisor and alongside founders, and repeatedly saw the same problem. Exceptional companies were struggling to access the right type of capital at the right time, particularly those based outside London.

Novus Capital was created to address that gap. Our mission is to help innovation led businesses accelerate growth by accessing government funding, private capital, and long term financial partners in a way that is founder first and commercially aligned.

We primarily support R&D intensive startups and scale ups, typically from pre seed through to Series A and beyond. While we work with businesses across the UK, we have a strong focus on companies based outside London, where access to funding, networks, and visibility has historically been more limited. These are businesses developing genuinely novel technology or solutions, often in sectors such as deep tech, health, climate, advanced manufacturing, and software, where innovation sits at the heart of the business model.

What makes our approach distinctive is that we are not a one product advisory firm. We act as a funding partner over multiple years, often starting with R&D tax relief or innovation grants to deliver immediate non dilutive capital, before supporting founders with equity fundraising and investor introductions as they scale. Our engagement model is cyclical and relationship led. The more we understand a business, the more effectively we can support its growth journey.

For readerswho may be discovering it for the first time, how would you describe Britain’sGot Startups? What problem does it aim to solve in the UK startup ecosystem,and how can startups from Celtic regions get involved and benefit from theinitiative?

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Britain’s Got Startups is a national platform and event series designed to spotlight and support outstanding founders based outside London. It is not just another pitch competition. It is a movement aimed at reshaping how opportunity, visibility, and investment flow across theUK.

The core problem Britain’s Got Startups addresses is post code bias. Too much capital, attention, and access in the UK startup ecosystem remains concentrated in a small number of locations. Brilliant founders in Scotland and other Celtic regions often face unnecessary barriers, whether that is travel costs, limited access to investor networks, or a lack of national visibility.

Britain’s Got Startups flips that model by bringing investors to founders, not the other way around. Founders apply through a clear and fee free process, pitch through virtual semi finals, and then progress to in person regional showcases. The strongest businesses go on to compete at a national final. Along the way, founders gain exposure to investors, ecosystem partners, and media, as well as valuable feedback and connections that extend far beyond the events themselves.

For startups from Celtic regions, Britain’s Got Startups provides a credible national stage without requiring relocation or existing investor connections. It is an opportunity to be seen, heard, and backed on merit.

From your perspective, what strengths do startups from Celtic regions bring to global markets? What advice would you give founders in these regions who are looking to scale internationally or attract UK and global investment?

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Startups from Celtic regions bring a combination of technical depth, resilience, and capital efficiency that translates extremely well to global markets. Many founders here have built businesses with fewer resources and less noise, which often results in stronger fundamentals, clearer value propositions, and more disciplined execution.

There is also a strong sense of community and longterm thinking across these regions, which supports sustainable growth rather than short term hype. Increasingly, investors recognise that world class companies are being built far beyond London and the South East.

For founders looking to scale internationally or attract UK and global investment, my advice is to own your story and your location. Where you are based is not a weakness. It is often a differentiator.

It is also important to think strategically about funding. Non dilutive funding such as R&D tax relief and innovation grant scan materially extend runway and reduce pressure during early growth stages, making businesses more attractive when they do come to raise equity.

Finally, focus on building relationships rather than chasing capital. Scaling globally is rarely about a single pitch or meeting. It is about trust, momentum, and visibility over time. Platforms likeBritain’s Got Startups exist to help founders from across the UK build those relationships on an equal footing.

Conclusion

Through Novus Capital, Jenson Brook is helping reshape the UK startup ecosystem by putting founders first and widening access to capital beyond traditional hubs. His work highlights the strength, ambition, and global potential of startups emerging from across the UK and the Celtic regions in particular.

As conversations around innovation, funding, and regional growth continue to evolve, forums like ours remain key spaces for founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders to connect, share perspectives, and build meaningful collaborations.

‍We look forward to continuing these discussions in person and welcoming you at a future Interceltic Business Forum.

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