Enterprise Nation and Visa Foundation launch AI for Every Business initiative
Startups Magazine Roshini Bains
Enterprise Nation and Visa Foundation are launching a three-year AI support scheme for small businesses. It’s aimed at the many UK firms that still don’t trust or use AI much.
Based on reporting by Startups Magazine, Roshini Bains — read the original for the full story.
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Enterprise Nation and Visa Foundation have teamed up on AI for Every Business, a three-year programme built to help micro and small businesses across the UK and Ireland use AI tools more securely and more effectively.
The scale is the striking part. Backed by a $2 million grant from Visa Foundation, the programme says it will offer free support to more than 157,000 small businesses over three years. That support won’t be a one-size-fits-all webinar and a polite goodbye. It includes practical videos, webinars, regional events, personalised assessments and learning paths, with a smaller group getting coaching, peer learning and one-to-one mentorship.
The launch lands against a stubborn adoption gap. Enterprise Nation’s Tech Hub report, Digital and AI Adoption among UK SMEs: The State of Play in 2026, says only one in five UK small businesses, or 21%, regularly use AI. The same report found 46% of small business owners don’t trust AI tools enough to act, while 42% would only engage with AI if it were completely free.
There’s also a gender split in the confidence data, with women reporting lower adoption intentions and lower trust. That matters because the pitch here is not just about experimenting with shiny software. Enterprise Nation argues that without targeted support, smaller firms could miss out on productivity, growth and resilience gains that responsible AI adoption can bring.
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan backed the effort, saying the aim is to make sure entrepreneurs from all backgrounds and every region can benefit from advances in AI. Enterprise Nation’s Polly Dhaliwal said the private and philanthropy sectors need to reach founders who have the least time and resources to figure this out alone. Visa’s Rob Cameron framed the programme as a way to simplify that journey and help founders integrate tools that fit their needs. The launch is set for autumn 2026, with eligibility and cohort details to follow.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
This is the right kind of AI push: less glossy hype, more hand-holding for people who are busy running an actual business. The UK has spent years treating AI like a seminar topic; small firms need help that survives contact with a Tuesday afternoon. Also, if 42% only want it when it’s free, the trust problem is doing a lot of the talking for everyone else.
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