We know it can be challenging to start your business without some funding in place.
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Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs (DBACE)
Win up to £20,000 to start and grow your enterprise.
DBACE supports visionary creative entrepreneurs who are over 18 years of age, and are driven by a mission to create and sustain social value through their enterprise.
DBACE aims to reach ambitious individuals from all backgrounds with ideas that will improve the lives of others and the communities we live in.
Deutsche Bank is partnering with MeWe360 to deliver this unique programme.
Applications for DBACE 2025 are now closed. Applications for DBACE 2026 will open in January 2026.
Santander X UK Awards
Calling university and early-stage start-ups! Enter your innovative business and win up to £15,000 in equity-free funding and the opportunity to compete against the best early-stage startups from across Europe and Latin America in the Santander X Global Awards.
The competition is open to University startups from any UK university.
There are three categories:
University (for university-linked new businesses looking to launch))
Startup (for growing businesses ready to scale)
SME (for legally incorporated UK businesses generating over £250k annual revenue)
The University category is for university entrepreneurs preparing their go-to-market strategy and who are looking to launch their business. To enter this category businesses must meet the following:
Have an innovative solution which could scale
Be linked to a UK university – at least one team member must be a current student or university employee, a graduate of the last five years (since 2019), or an entrepreneur from a university incubator, accelerator or spin-out
Be preparing to go to market
Have a team of two people or more (if a solo founder, this can include advisors/board members and/or full/part-time staff)
Have a minimum viable product (MVP)
150 businesses will be shortlisted.
Applications for the 2025 competition are now closed.
Tata Varsity Pitch Competition
Applications for the 2025 Tata Varsity Pitch Competition are now open.
The Tata Varsity Pitch Competition is the longest-running inter-university business pitching competition in the UK. It is open to current students and graduates up to five years after graduation. Applicants compete to win one of several award categories and the grand prize of £15,000 cash.
You need to choose one of the following categories to apply for:
Hospitality, Travel and Tourism - Startups targeting business or consumer clients in sectors such as holidays, hotels, airlines and travel guides
Consumer and Retail - Consumer-facing businesses offering services or products in sectors such as food, drinks, online retail, store concepts, clothing and personal health
Mobility, Clean Energy and Infrastructure - Business-facing companies offering services or products in sectors such as clean power, materials, business processes, industrial design and engineering
Digital and Design - Online and digital-led propositions for business or consumer customers such as media, entertainment, gaming, AI and productivity tools
Community and Social Development - Businesses looking to help consumer and business customers in sectors including education, public health, social cohesion, and tackling societal problems
Applications for this competition are now open. The deadline for applications is 22 October 2025.
Ignite Competition for social enterprises
Ignite, funded by the Ford Family Foundation, is a unique pitching event designed exclusively for ambitious the social entrepreneurs with a vision to scale.
We are looking for rising stars – students, graduates and early-stage founders – who are tackling pressing social or environmental challenges in bold, innovative ways. Ventures can come from any discipline, sector, or academic background, and may focus on any social or environmental issues.
We recognise that many impactful ventures are excluded from traditional funding opportunities or face systemic barriers to early stage support. Ignite is designed to create equitable access to capital – ensuring that talented founders, regardless of their starting point, have the opportunity to succeed.
Apply for an impact accelerator grant of up to £20,000 and a tailored support package up for grabs.
Ignite backs student and graduate-led ventures tackling social and environmental problems with scalable, entrepreneurial solutions.
We’re open to all models – as long as you’re building something with:
Clear purpose demonstrating measurable impact
Potential for long term sustainability
An ambitious founding team ready to lead change
A plan to generate 50%+ of income from trading
Who should apply
If you’re a student or recent graduate building a venture with social or environmental purpose — Ignite is for you. Whether you’re a for-profit startup, a CIC, or a charity, we’re looking for bold founders with sustainable business models, lived insight, and a drive to create real change. If your enterprise is early-stage, impact-driven, and ready to grow — apply now.
Applications for 2025 are now closed.
Samuel Wilson’s Loan Trust
Samuel Wilson’s Loan Trust (SWLT) is a charitable organisation which offers business loans to young people (aged 18-39) for establishing and developing new businesses, and who are "in need by reason of ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage."
Who can apply
To qualify for a loan individuals must
Be between the age of 18 and 39 inclusive
Have recently set up (no longer than 36 months) or be about to set up a business
Trade in Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, East Sussex or West Sussex
Please note that the Trust does not loan to any business whose primary trade is the manufacture or sale of alcohol.
Loan terms
Up to £50,000 for limited companies or between £25,000-£50,000 for sole traders
2% interest rate (subject to change)
Repayment within five years (60 months)
The precise interest rate, amount and period of the loan will be considered on an individual basis, determined at the discretion of the Trustees.
A guarantor may be required.
How to apply
You will need to submit a robust business plan with a detailed and realistic financial forecast as a part of your application.
Contact the Samuel Wilson Loan Trust to receive the application form and the templates to use for your business plan and financial forecasts. You will be required to submit supporting documents as listed on the application form.
What happens next
When you have submitted your application, we will check that your documents are correct and you will receive support from a Business Adviser to help you prepare your application for review by the Trustees.
Please note that the process could take two to four months depending on the strength of your application.
The Enterprise Advisor will give you feedback on how to write and submit an application with a higher chance of being shortlisted.
Stay informed about upcoming opportunities, deadlines and more - email student-enterprise@gold.ac.uk to sign up to the student enterprise mailing list.