Finding business funding

The purpose of these grants is to support Goldsmiths students and recent graduates to develop and launch a UK-based business.

For these grants you need to have moved beyond the “having the idea” stage. As a minimum you will need to be actively researching and testing your idea. If your business is in the process of being launched or has recently been launched we encourage you to apply.

We are looking for well thought through and carefully costed proposals, which will clearly assist you in establishing and growing your business.

Grants are open to current Goldsmiths students, and recent graduates who graduated after 1 June 2021.

For further details and an application form please contact Belinda at student-awards (@gold.ac.uk).

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.

The prize package is designed to give you everything you need to power up your idea or existing business so that you can take it to the next level. DBACE offers targeted online support sessions designed to help you strengthen your business idea and application.

Congratulations to Goldsmiths graduate Sherry Davis of Rehema Cultural Arts who was awarded funding by DBACE in 2023.

Applications for DBACE 2025 will open in January 2025.

Open to students and recent graduates from London Universities the competition is looking for business ideas that can improve the city we live in.

The Mayor’s Entrepreneur competition is looking for your business ideas to make London cleaner, greener and ready for the future.

There are four categories you can submit an idea to (Creative Industries, Environment, Health and Tech) and each has a top prize of £20,000 start-up funding to help you turn your idea into a real business.

For more details about this competition and the challenges London is facing take a look at the website.

For the last three years a Goldsmiths student has made it to the Final of the Mayor’s Award. So definitely think about applying.

Applications for the 2025 Mayor’s Entrepreneur Awards will open in the autumn of 2024.

If you would like some support with your application please book an Enterprise Appointment via CareerSPACE or email student-awards (@gold.ac.uk)

In 2023 Santander Universities is once again running an open call for applications to the Santander X UK Awards. The competition is open to University startups from any UK university.

There are two categories:

• University (for university-linked new businesses looking to launch))
• Startup (for growing businesses ready to scale)

Traditionally this is a competition for university entrepreneurs, but this year applications in the Startup category have been extended to include all UK businesses.​

100 businesses (65 in the University category and 35 in the Startup category) will be shortlisted by 20 October. These businesses will join a two-day business bootcamp with expert-led sessions, networking, and pitch support. Following the bootcamp, all 100 candidates will pitch their business during Global Entrepreneurship week (13 – 17 November), where 12 finalists will be selected. The finalists will then pitch live at the National Final in London in December to a high-profile panel of judges, including Mike Regnier, Santander UK Chief Executive and William Vereker, Santander UK Chairman.  ​

There will be six winners overall (3 per category), who will win up to £25,000 funding and automatically progress to the Santander X Global Award, the bank’s international entrepreneurship competition where they will have the opportunity to compete against the best early-stage startups from across Europe and Latin America in Spring 2024.​

Applications for these awards have now closed.

Since the inception of Varsity Pitch over 10 years ago, we have seen thousands of innovative and creative businesses from students and graduates.

The concept of the competition is to actively support early-stage student and graduate start-ups throughout their entrepreneurial journey, providing them with access to support, mentors and the opportunity to compete for the prize pot of £15,000, equity-free.  

Find out more about the competition.

Applications for this competition are now closed.