Student Enterprise funding
Student Enterprise offers some funding opportunities for student and graduate start-ups to win funding for their business.
We also encourage students who are experiencing financial difficulties in accessing entrepreneurial opportunities to reach out to us for support with travel, accommodation or workshop fees. We have a small pot of money for this and so, whilst we cannot guarantee covering all costs, we may be able to help in some way.
Finances holding you back?
We may be able to help you access entrepreneurial opportunities.
Propeller Fund
Funded by Santander Universities
The Student Enterprise Propeller Fund is ideally suited to early stage ideas and those in our EXPERIENCE group.
There is a maximum amount of 800 for the testing of a new business idea.
This fund is offered in November, February and May each year.
To find out about funding opportunities contact us at studententerprise@surrey.ac.uk.
Cube Fund
Funded by Santander Universities
The Student Enterprise Cube Fund offers a grant of up to £1,200 per business, with the aim of providing financial assistance to assist with further development and growth of student businesses.
Applicants must be either current students or recent graduates of the University of Surrey, up to two years from graduation) and must be known to Student Enterprise and receiving 1:1 support from a Student Enterprise staff member as per of the EXECUTE Programme.
All applicants will be required to complete an application form to explain how this funding will develop their business and then summarise their business development plans in a live pitch. This will comprise of a five minute pitch to judges with questions and answers from the panel. The panel’s decision to fund/not fund is final although feedback will be provided. If unsuccessful, applicants are still eligible to come back and pitch again in the future.
Founderships
Funded by Future Generation, Santander Universities & University of Surrey
This programme is designed to give student and graduate entrepreneurs between £1,000 – 3,000 in funding in order to work full-time on their businesses over the summer.
A top prize of £5,000 funded by Future Generation will be awarded to the overall most outstanding pitch.
As part of the programme we offer specific opportunities for both Black founders and LGBTQ+ founders to challenge the inequalities faced by these founders, helping to create a more diverse and inclusive business community on campus and for the future.
The financial award is part of a wider programme of support for all successful candidates and open for applications each year in April/May ahead of the summer break.
Prospective founders are invited to apply to pitch their business idea, with selected candidates being awarded a Foundership to allow them to focus on developing their idea over a 3-month programme. In addition, they will be offered long term dedicated mentorship, pitching and bootcamp opportunities, and unlimited business support and advice that all our founders across all our programmes receive. We have a strong business model in place already, with a fantastic network of mentors consisting of ambassadors who have been through the Foundership programme, over 20 exceptional corporate business experts who have been selected for their experiences and knowledge, and our accomplished ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ who will offer more focussed, tailored training. We also have a team of skilled and experienced staff in the Surrey Student Enterprise programme who are always on hand to offer support.
Dmitry Minskiy, a graduate from the University of Surrey won a Foundership from Student Enterprise in the summer of 2022. He says,
Foundership Programme was a critical step for my personal development as an entrepreneur and for InForecast as a company. The timing of the award could not be any better, the support provided as a part of it really helped navigate the initial stages of building the business. The practical training sessions and advisor meetings played a critical part in the development of InForecast. It was then that we were pushed to actively explore the market with a simple prototype, built during my Foundership time.
This approach allowed its to build strong industry connection and secure £50,000 of pre-sales. These funds complemented by further grant support were used to successfully build the complete version of the platform that is currently being piloted on major residential and commercial real estate developments in London.
Be sure not to miss the launch of Founderships each year by signing up to the Student Enterprise community now.
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