Student Enterprise Fund - GROW Pathway

Apply for up to £5,000 to GROW or accelerate your business.

Please note: Applicants for the Engineers in Business Competition (EIBC) or Pulse for Change Competition should apply to the START, BUILD or GROW Pathways depending on the stage of your business. In the application form you will be asked whether you wish to also apply for these awards. Any questions, please contact [email protected].

UoS Student Enterprise

The Student Enterprise Fund – GROW Pathway – Summer 2025 is generously supported by Santander Universities and is running in collaboration with Future Worlds.

Applications will open Monday 28 April 2025. Apply via the Santander X Platform.

Apply Now – GROW

Applications close midnight, Sunday 15 June 2025.

To explore eligibility or get feedback on an application form, book a 1:1 with the Student Enterprise Team or Future Worlds. .

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Who is the GROW Pathway – Summer 25 For?

The GROW Pathway – Summer 2025 is suitable for students who have made significant progress on developing their business to date but require essential funding to progress to the next critical development milestone OR to grow/accelerate existing traction.

The GROW Pathway – Summer 2025 could be for you if:

You have made significant progress in developing your product or service but lack the financial resources to get your product or service to the next critical development milestone.
You have already tested initial go-to-market strategies and achieved initial sales but lack the financial resources to grow or accelerate your traction.

Successful applicants to the GROW pathway will typically have strong customer validation of the business opportunity either through paying customer traction, letters of intent, key stakeholder collaborations or partnerships, robust customer feedback and/or robust evidence for the customer need.

This pathway is suitable for UK businesses and social enterprises across all industry sectors.

What can GROW Funding be used for?

GROW funding can be used to support a wide range of different business expenses. Example use of funds might include essential equipment, raw materials, stock, product development or testing, software, marketing costs, legal or regulatory costs, professional development and much more.

Is my business eligible for GROW Funding – Summer 25?

At a minimum, students applying for the GROW pathway must demonstrate progress and commitment to their business or social enterprise to date and strong customer validation of the business opportunity either through paying customer traction, letters of intent, key stakeholder collaborations or partnerships, robust customer feedback and/or robust evidence for the customer/user need.
They must also be able to clearly communicate their business model and go-to-market strategy, as well as having a robust understanding of the risks and challenges for their business.

How do I apply?

Applications open Monday 28 April 2025. Applications close midnight, Sunday 15 June 2025.

Applications must be submitted via the Santander X Platform before the deadline, midnight, Sunday 15 June 2025.
Candidates are required to provide a 2-minute video pitch via the application form. More details on requirements for this can be found in the application form.
Short-listed candidates, based on the application form and video pitch, will be in invited to an online panel interview, where they will be expected to present their business/social enterprise idea.
Students invited to panel will have three minutes to pitch, and this will be followed by up to fifteen minutes of Q&A from the panel.

Apply Now – GROW

Key Dates:

Applications Open: Monday 28 April 2025
Applications Close: midnight, Sunday 15 June 2025

Online Panel Interviews: Tuesday 24 June & Monday 30 June 2025

If you are interested in applying for the GROW Pathway or have any questions regarding eligibility, we highly recommend you book a 1:1 appointment with a member of the Student Enterprise team. Alternatively, you can book an appointment with Future Worlds.

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You can contact the team at [email protected] or [email protected].

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