Celebrating Andy Fishburn’s MBE for Services to Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship

Celebrating Andy Fishburn’s New Year Honour.

Managing Director of Virgin StartUp awarded an MBE for services to small businesses and entrepreneurship.

We’re starting 2026 with some incredible news! Andy Fishburn, Managing Director of Virgin StartUp, has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the King’s New Year Honours List for his services to small businesses and entrepreneurship. It’s a proud moment for Andy, for Virgin StartUp, and for every team member, founder and partner who’s been part of this journey.

A decade of supporting founders Andy has been part of Virgin StartUp since day one, joining as a founding team member in 2013. Back then, Virgin StartUp was a new initiative with a bold mission to help early-stage UK founders start up and thrive.

Under Andy’s leadership, Virgin StartUp has:

• Delivered £100M+ in Start Up Loan funding to 7,000 founders across the UK

• Enabled those businesses to go on and raise over £250M+ in additional investment

• Supported thousands more through mentoring, business advice, and founder-first events

• Launched flagship initiatives like:

• The 50/50 pledge - committing to equal funding for women and men founders

• Empower 100 – unlocking growth and investment potential in underrepresented founders.

• Momentum - the UK’s first neuroinclusive accelerator designed to help founders harness their Dyslexic Thinking skills.

Across all of this, Andy has been a steady, values-led leader, championing purpose and always putting founders first.

A Message from Andy

Seeing my name on the King’s New Year Honours list wasn’t something I had planned for 2025 - but I’m incredibly proud to have received an MBE for Services to Small Business and Entrepreneurship. If I’m honest, it still feels a little surreal. 
 
While I’m honoured by the personal recognition, it really belongs to Virgin StartUp and to the many people who’ve made its impact possible over the past 12+ years. 
 
Thank you to the brilliant Virgin StartUp team past and present who make it happen every single day. To our advisors, facilitators, 1,000+ mentors, speakers and partners who give their time, energy and expertise so generously. And to the founders who’ve trusted us and allowed us to be a part of their journey. Virgin StartUp simply wouldn’t be what it is without each and every one of you. 
 
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be trusted with the opportunities I’ve had, and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me and the team along the way. A special thank you to the Branson family for their continued belief in and support of Virgin StartUp - without it, we wouldn’t get to do the work we do.

— Andy Fishburn, Managing Director, Virgin StartUp

A Win for the Founder Community

This MBE is a huge honour, but it’s also a moment to reflect on the collective impact of a mission-driven community.

It’s a reminder that supporting entrepreneurs matters, not just to individual businesses, but to the health, creativity, and future of the UK economy. And that when we champion inclusive, founder-first support, we all rise.

Andy’s recognition shines a spotlight on the vital work of backing early-stage entrepreneurs, and at Virgin StartUp, we’re excited to keep pushing that mission forward in 2026 and beyond.

Thank you, Andy. And congratulations from all of us at Virgin StartUp. 👏