Founded by three experienced technology recruiters who had worked together for years, Accelero launched in 2022 with a clear ambition: to build something better than the transactional recruitment services they'd seen dominate the market. Based in Caerphilly, the company provides specialist technology and business change recruitment services to businesses across the UK. In just four years, Accelero has grown from a £300k startup to a £1m business, supporting over 100 organisations and helping more than 500 candidates secure life-changing roles. Here, co-founders Alistair Cooke, Ben Woodward and Jordan Biddle share how support from the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme (AGP) helped them navigate one of the toughest recruitment markets in recent memory and emerge stronger, more focused and ready for the next phase of growth.
What inspired you to start Accelero?
The three of us had worked together for years before launching Accelero. We knew we had the right blend of experience, ambition and culture to build something better: a recruitment partner that overdelivers on service quality for clients and candidates. We're a founder-led, customer-obsessed talent partner. Our mission is simple: give organisations frictionless access to high-quality talent while delivering a recruitment experience that feels like a partnership, not a transaction.
What challenges did you face in growing the business?
Early on, our biggest challenges were balancing delivery with growth, building brand visibility and navigating an increasingly unpredictable recruitment landscape. We've grown through what's widely considered the most challenging recruitment market in recent memory, from mid-2023 to now, driven by industry-wide redundancies and economic uncertainty. Staying resilient and focused during that period has been a significant achievement.
How has AGP supported your growth journey?
AGP helped sharpen our market positioning, both as a strategic talent partner to clients and as an employer of choice for recruiters in South Wales. The most impactful support has been in branding, marketing and senior-level strategic guidance around our one to three-year direction. This helped us think bigger, act faster and position ourselves clearly in a crowded market.
We've also moved into two new markets: Sales and Engineering, strengthening our diversification strategy. This expansion came directly from AGP-led strategic discussions and has opened up fast-growing, high-value markets for us.
Have you experienced growth in staffing since working with AGP?
Since working with AGP, we've created seven new jobs. This growth has allowed us to strengthen our specialist divisions across Software Engineering, Product, DevOps, Cloud, IT, Networking, Cyber Security and Change.
What milestones are you most proud of achieving?
Breaking through £1m turnover has been incredibly rewarding. We've gone from £300k in year one to £500k in year two, £600k in year three and £1m in year four. Supporting over 100 organisations, including some of Wales and the UK's most recognisable brands, has been incredible. Helping more than 500 candidates secure life-changing roles is what it's all about. AGP's support around strategy and branding played a big part in these achievements.
What role has sustainability played in your growth?
We've started integrating sustainability into how we operate, from reducing our office energy usage to digitising internal processes to cut down paper waste. AGP supported us with strategic conversations around responsible growth, helping us define realistic but ambitious objectives for the next two to three years. We aim to become a low-impact, tech-enabled recruitment business and to champion sustainability with the partners we work with.
What advice would you give other entrepreneurs?
Back yourself earlier. Hire sooner. And don't wait for perfect conditions: momentum is everything. Keep going. If you genuinely believe in the mission, persistence is the key. Building a business is tough and unforgiving, but if you stay focused, disciplined and resilient, the rewards compound. Surround yourself with a great team whose strengths complement yours.
How would you advise businesses to get the most from AGP?
Be clear about your top priorities and focus AGP support on them. And remember: like anything in life, you get out what you put in. AGP has been invaluable in helping us become the business we are today, and we're excited about what's ahead.
Find out more about how the Accelerated Growth Programme can support your business.
Find out more about Accerelo.