Student showcasing business at Enterprise awards evening

Great ideas need funding

Cash funding to support your business ideas

Applications are now closed, check back at the end of April 2024 for our next round of funding

Would you like some money to explore the viability of your business? Do you already have an idea you wish to develop? If so, these startup grants are for you.

You can apply for funding from Santander Universities to test an idea or progress your startup to the next stage. Please only apply for the amount of funding you need.

 

You won't need to pay the money back but you should be able to show a return on investment from your business development. 

You can use this funding to:

  • conduct market research
  • create a prototype
  • develop a marketing plan
  • purchase products and services
  • launch a product or service

 

Eligibility

  • Open to University of Portsmouth students and graduates (within 5 years of graduating)
  • If you are on a student visa you are not eligible to start a business however, we will consider applications to undertake market research or help progress your idea to a stage that gets you ready to launch.
  • If you have received startup funding from the Student StartUp Team on two or more occasions unfortunately you are not eligible to apply for this funding.
  • Unfortunately, the funding cannot be used to pay for office space or to pay a wage, although you can use it to pay for outsourcing specific tasks/skills if you can demonstrate the impact.
  • The funding is for UK-based projects and businesses only. 

 

Application advice

Need some help with your application? Get in touch through StudentStartup@port.ac.uk

  • Assume no one knows about your idea, explain it in a clear and concise way
  • Be creative, think about adding a video to explain your idea, add a link to your website or portfolio, if you have drawings of your concept - share them with us. Anything that helps us understand your idea is always welcomed. At the same time don't worry if you haven't got anything extra to add - just make sure your overview is really clear.
  • Impact is key, so explain how the funding will help - how will it make a difference?
  • Be realistic with how much you are asking for. If you can provide a breakdown of what the money would be spent on, that's really helpful
  • Think about what makes you different - we get lots of applications so make yourself stand out
  • Any questions ask the team. We can't review your application before you submit but we can answer any questions you may have

  • How clear is the overview of the idea on a scale of 1 - 5?
  • How clear is it what they will spend the funding on, on a scale of 1 - 5?
  • How clearly have they described what impact the funding will have on the business on a scale of 1 - 5?
  • If they do not receive the funding, how committed are they to still making the idea work or finding alternative means of funding?
  • Overall feasibility and the potential to be a viable business scored out of 5. 

 

 

How to apply

Applications are now closed, check back at the end of April 2024 for our next round of funding.

 

 

Meet our startups

Meet some of our entrepreneurs and explore the businesses, ideas and successes. 

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StartUp Events and Workshops

Explore our workshops to develop your startup idea and take part in Route to Startup, Development, or Social Startup events.

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