Funding & Competitions
If you’re looking for funding, to pitch an idea, or want to meet an investor, there are plenty of options for different stages and sectors.
Check out our top picks, then use the filters below to further customise your search.
Finding Funding: An Overview
A short list of the different funding options that a startup could choose.
Creating the Perfect Pitch Deck
Want a pitch that will wow visually? Take a look at what these startups have done.
Startup Tips: Finding funding
Startup tips video from students and recent graduates on how they found funding.
The First Questions to Ask Yourself Part 4
Where do you find the money to get going? And at what price?
Business competitions and awards in the UK
A list of business competitions and awards open to UK businesses (opens in new window)
Entrepreneurship @ Oxford
Our handy map shows you how to navigate the Oxford entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Looking for something specific?
Click on the categories below to narrow down your search.
Bethnal Green Ventures
Invests in new ideas to fix social and environmental problems through an intensive three-month programme.
Panacea Stars
Panacea Stars collaborate with the most exciting sci-entrepreneurs to help transform bold visions into thriving companies.
Climate KIC
Helping climate related start-ups to connect with the right experts for their business to thrive.
Startups.co.uk
UK’s leading independent, online resource for anyone starting and growing a business, established in 2000.
Oxfordshire Business Support
A practical guide to supporting Oxfordshire businesses at all stages, by people with honest first-hand experience.
YES Young Entrepreneurs Scheme
A global competition developed to raise awareness of how ideas from science and engineering can be commercialised.
Nesta
Nesta Centre for Challenge Prizes uses prizes to stimulate innovative solutions to some of the big challenges we face.
Shell Livewire Competition
Supporting young entrepreneurs with sustainable businesses for the UK infrastructural development needs.
Venture Capital Investment Competition
Global VCIC is the world’s largest venture capital competition among top MBA students from 70+ prestigious business schools.
University of Oxford Internal Funding
A selection of Internal Funding Opportunities from the University of Oxford.
Oxfordshire County Council Community Group Funding
Helping voluntary and community organisations find and apply for funding opportunities.
Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Funding
Funding opportunities from the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.
Oxford City Council Funding List
External funding awarded from grant giving organisations such as the BIG Lottery, national or local trusts and central Government.
Satellite Application Catapult Competitions
Supporting competitions organised by industry and government bodies, relating to space and satellite sectors.
DevPost
The home for hackers. Get an inside look at the best development teams, find jobs you'll love, and improve your skills at hackathons.
IET Present Around the World
An opportunity for Young Professionals to win cash prizes, develop their skills and network with peers.
Business Competitions & Awards in the UK
A range of UK and internationally-based business awards and competitions.
F6S Competitions List
F6S delivers millions of dollars in government grants and R&D tax relief to tech startups and SMEs.
F6S Incubators List
Delivering founders growth through startup programs, opportunities to drive traction, grants, and services.
YouNoodle Competitions
Helping startup founders get advice, prizes, and opportunities from our network of startup competitions.
Gateway to Europe
This Gateway gives guidance on European funding-related activities and support at Oxford.
OxLEP: Grow a Business
For start-up entrepreneurs and micro businesses in Oxfordshire, focusing on the critical components needed to run a successful business.
Oxford Angels Network
A business angels network for investors and private companies interested in investing in spin-out companies from the University of Oxford.
Longwall Venture Partners
Longwall Venture Partners are investing in innovative, UK based, early stage companies in the healthcare, science and engineering sectors.
Oxford Technology
For more than 30 years, Oxford Technology has specialised in investing in start-up and early stage technology companies based near Oxford.
First Steps
A £300,000 pilot fund offering loan-grant packages to charities and social enterprises working in communities in England.
The Oxford Seed Fund
A University fund run out of the Entrepreneurship Centre with up to £50k to allocate to Oxford based start-ups annually.
IT Innovation Challenge
Supporting small start-up digital projects that will bring a benefit to the University.
Skoll Scholarship
A competitive scholarship for incoming MBA students who pursue entrepreneurial solutions for urgent social and environmental challenges.
Map the System Global Challenge
Social change is complicated. Mapping is a way of understanding its complexities.
Skoll Venture Awards
Looking for ventures that get to the root of some of the significant issues affecting our world.
MBA Entrepreneurship Project (EP)
Challenging participants to develop a full business plan and present it to a panel of invited investors and other practitioners.
SSE Funding List
A page where to find all the details about grants and support to social enterprises.
University of Oxford Entrepreneurship Support
Organisations and student groups providing opportunities to explore entrepreneurship in the University.
Startup Tips: Finding funding
Oxford student and alumni entrepreneurs give insightful advice about their startups
StartedinOxford Demo Night – the results
Second #startedinoxford Demo Night, celebrating Oxford's startup community.
Vice-Chancellor’s Social Impact Awards 2019
Presented every year to Oxford University students who show exceptional achievement and commitment to positive social change.
EIT Innovation
EIT is an independent EU body striving to nurture entrepreneurial talent and supporting new ideas.
Developing your Creative Practice
A development fund designed to support independent creative practitioners.
OXFO L.E.V8
A University of Oxford acclerator designed to support and nurture early-stage start-up teams affiliated to the University.
eScalate Social Enterprise Support
Supporting social entrepreneurs, enterprising charities and other purposeful businesses in Oxfordshire.
ActInSpace
An international innovation contest based on space technologies, data, patents and infrastructures.
ImagineIF Accelerator
A programme of innovators across our branches worldwide, tailored mentoring and access to the Innovation Forum professional network.
Global Challenges Research Fund
A £1.5 billion fund announced by the UK Government to support research addressed to developing countries.
Translational funding
Translational funding is used to bridge a ‘gap’ in development between early stage university research and its commercialisation.
The John Fell Fund
All subject areas are encouraged to apply, and interdisciplinary and/or interdivisional projects are especially welcome.
Social Enterprise Awards
Since 2013, over 40 different ventures have been supported, from a community cafe to a soap recycling enterprise.
Vice-Chancellor’s Social Impact Awards
Presented every year to Oxford University students who show exceptional commitment to positive social change.
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses
An investment to help entrepreneurs create opportunities for education, capital and business support services.
Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards
One of the UK’s largest student and graduate business pitching competitions.
Tata Varsity Pitch Competition
A national early stage business pitching competition for businesses coming out of colleges and universities.
OUI – Funding Social Enterprise
Opportunities to fund social or environmental impact projects at all stages beyond research.
OxLEP
Championing Oxfordshire’s economic potential, acting as a catalyst and convener to drive a dynamic, sustainable and growing economy.
All-Innovate Idea Competition
Encouraging all students at Oxford to develop an entrepreneurial skill-set.
OX1
Oxford's first start-up incubator programme designed by student entrepreneurs, for student entrepreneurs, which does not take equity or IP.
OUI Angels
A business angels network for investors and private companies interested in investing in spinout companies from the University of Oxford.
OXFO Booster Grants
Apply for up to £2,000 grant funding for student society initiatives that introduce entrepreneurship in the University.
Emerge Education
We invest in pre-seed and seed rounds in European and North American companies focused on education.
xEdu
Europe's leading business accelerator for edtech startups creating transformative learning solutions with pedagogical impact.
True.
Europe’s only retail and consumer sector specialist, that operates across the entire investment vertical.
Startup Bootcamp: Fintech London
A leading program supporting innovative companies in the financial services industry.
How to Finance and Grow Your Startup – Without VC
If you’re an entrepreneur at any stage of your journey, and you need money, this course is for you.
Oxfordshire space industry wins at Oxford Trust 2019 awards
This year’s winner is Opsydia, a spin-out from Oxford University. They create practically invisible structures inside transparent materials.
Generation Medics wins big at Oxfordshire Business Success Awards
Generation Medics named the ‘Most Socially Minded Business’ at Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) Business Success Awards.
StartedinOxford Demo Night – the results
Second #StartedinOxford Demo Night, celebrating Oxford's startup community.
Aspect launch new Accelerator!
Aspect’s new flagship four-month social sciences student and alumni accelerator hosted by LSE to support and scale socially-responsible student and alumni ventures is now open for applications.
Female Founders Fund
The leading source of institutional capital for female founders raising seed capital with over $3B in enterprise value.
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Enterprising Oxford is a University of Oxford initiative to help connect people to the entrepreneurship resources they need, and to promote entrepreneurship across Oxfordshire.
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