- Aimed at: Startups/Scaleups
- Located in:
United Kingdom - University/ies:
University of Southampton
Requirements
UoS Enterprise Accelerate Fund is available to UoS undergraduate, postgraduate taught, and postgraduate research students, as well as those who have recently graduated:
Funding is available to UoS students who have graduated within the 36 months preceding each Accelerate funding round.
UoS Students applying for the UoS Enterprise Accelerate Fund must:
- Be running an existing business/social enterprise.
- At a minimum, be able to provide evidence of the viability of their business, through both customer research AND initial customer traction.
- Be able to clearly communicate their business model and go-to-market strategy.
- Have a robust understanding of the risks and challenges for their business.
- Be able to demonstrate how previous UoS Student Enterprise funding has been utilised and has impacted their business to date.
- Be able to demonstrate progress and personal commitment to their business or social enterprise to date.
Please Note:
Only students that are legally allowed to start their own business in the UK are eligible for funding. International students on a general Student Visa are not eligible for Accelerate funding. Please visit the government website for further guidance on what you legally can and cannot do when studying on a general Student Visa: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa
Students can apply as individuals, a partnership or group. If applying as a partnership or group, please complete a single application and assign a lead applicant.
Students who have previously received funding from the UoS Student Enterprise Fund pathways are eligible to apply, within the following parameters:
- Students must provide evidence of successful spend and impact of the previous funding awarded and demonstrate realistic projections based on the further funding required.
- Students can win up to a maximum total of £10K across multiple years for the same business, across the three UoS Student Enterprise funding pathways.
If you have any questions on eligibility, please book a 1:1 appointment with the team.
General information
Are you a UoS student running your own business? Have you started gaining customer traction? Do you need funding to help grow, accelerate or scale your venture?
Apply to the UoS Enterprise Accelerate Fund for the chance to secure £5,000 in equity-free funding.
Run by UoS Student Enterprise, with support from Future Worlds and generously funded by Santander Universities, the Accelerate Fund is designed to support the growth of student and graduate-led startups, SMEs and social enterprises across a wide range of industries.
This opportunity is best suited to students who have already launched their business or social enterprise and have validated their idea through early customer traction, but who need additional funding to take the next step and accelerate their growth.
*Applications will close at 23:59 on Sunday 10 May 2026*
❗Before You Apply
Please read all the information below and ensure you have read out website carefully before starting your application: 👉 thejunction.info/fund
❗Book a 1:1
We strongly recommend booking a 1:1 appointment with the Student Enterprise team - it's one of the best things you can do to give your application the best possible chance of success: 👉 Book an appointment: https://mycareer.soton.ac.uk/leap/appointments.html
❗Integrity
We value integrity and honesty in all our interactions, including funding applications. Please ensure your application reflects your own genuine thinking and working. By completing and submitting this application form, you are committing to refrain from using any cheating methods and not relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in your application.
🎥 Your Video Pitch
As part of your application, you'll need to submit a short video pitch of no more than 2 minutes. Your pitch should cover:
- A summary of your business idea
- Traction & key achievements to date
- Your growth strategy
- 12-month objectives & key milestones
- Your funding request and how this will impact your business growth
Upload your video to YouTube or another video sharing platform, then paste the URL into the relevant field in the application form. Please ensure the link is not locked or private (hidden is okay).
Applications will be short-listed based on the application form and video pitch. Short-listed applicants will then be invited to a panel interview before funding decisions are made.
*Applications will close at 23:59 on Sunday 10 May 2026*
If you have any questions or any accessibility requirements or concerns, please contact the Student Enterprise Team via studententerprise@soton.ac.uk
Reward
Equity-free prize funding of £5,000 per person/business.
Call guidelines
Contact to make enquiries about this call
To resolve queries about this call, you can contact the manager of the call by writing to:
studententerprise@soton.ac.uk
Have you seen an error in this program?
Let us know and we will correct it as soon as possible
Report error found