UK Awards 2023

Santander X

Calling university and early-stage start-ups! Enter your innovative business and win up to £25,000 in equity-free funding and the opportunity to compete against the best early-stage startups from across Europe and Latin America in the Santander X Global Awards. 

About the Santander X UK Awards 2023

2 categories

University and Startup (see below for eligibility).

100 shortlisted businesses

65 in the University category and 35 in the Startup category.

2 day business bootcamp

Shortlisted participants will benefit from a 2 day in-person business bootcamp with expert-led sessions, networking and more!

12 finalists

6 in the University category and 6 in the Startup category.

6 winners

3 in the University category and 3 in the Startup category will receive an equity-free cash prize and business support.

6 places in the Santander X Global Awards

All 6 winners will automatically received a place in the Santander X Global Awards.

Overview

Now in its 13th year, Santander's annual Entrepreneurship Awards is one of the UK's largest student and graduate business pitching competitions. To date, they've supported hundreds of early-stage entrepreneurs and provided more than £900,000 in equity-free funding to start-ups and small businesses.


Recent winners have included UNI SIM, Team Repair, Milbotix, Kitt Medical, Konglomerate Games and Sojo.

This year’s programme has two categories: University (for new businesses looking to launch) and Startup (for growing businesses ready to scale). Excitingly, for the first time the startup category is open to everyone, not just university entrepreneurs!

6 winners (3 per category) will receive up to £25,000 equity-free funding and secure an automatic place in the Santander X Global Awards. There you’ll have the opportunity to compete against the best early-stage startups from across Europe and Latin America to win additional cash prizes, international exposure and more!

Categories

Your business must be based in the UK and meet the following criteria:

University category

University businesses and entrepreneurs, preparing their go-to-market strategy and looking to launch.

Your business must:

  • Be disruptive and innovative, with the ability to scale.
  • Be linked to a UK university (at least one team member must be a current student or employee, a graduate of the last five years (since 2018), or an entrepreneur from a university incubator, accelerator or spin-out).
  • Be preparing to go to market.
  • Have a team of two people or more (if you are a solo founder this can include advisors/board members and/or full/part-time staff).
  • Have a minimum viable product (MVP).

Startup category

Growing businesses looking to scale.

Your business must:

  • Be disruptive and innovative, with the ability to scale.
  • Be incorporated and registered as a UK company.

 

Your business must also meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • Have a product and/or service already in the market with an annual sales revenue of £250,000 or less.
  • Have raised seed funding of between £50,000 and £850,000.
  • Have two to 25 full-time employees (this can include your founding team).

Prizes

Winners and finalists will receive the following equity-free cash prizes:

  • University

    £15,000  -  1st place

     

    £10,000  -  2nd place

     

    £5,000  -  3rd place

     

    £2,500  -  4th–6th place

  • Startup

    £25,000  -  1st place

     

    £15,000  -  2nd place

     

    £10,000  -  3rd place

     

    £2,500  -  4th–6th place

Key dates

From
13
Jul
2023
To
13
Sep
2023
Application – stage 1

We'll review applications on a rolling basis, so apply early to give yourself the best chance of being accepted.

 

From
22
Sep
2023
To
06
Oct
2023
Application – stage 2

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a second stage application.

 

 

From
06
Oct
2023
To
20
Oct
2023
Selection

Oxentia and Santander will select 100 businesses (65 in the University category and 35 in Startup).

 

From
01
Nov
2023
To
02
Nov
2023
Bootcamp

2 day in-person pitching bootcamp with expert-led sessions, networking and more!

 

 

14
Nov
2023
Finalist Selection

The 100 shortlisted businesses will pitch at The KIA Oval in London to win one of 12 places (6 per category) in the Final.

 

 

07
Dec
2023
National Final

The 12 Finalists will pitch at Unity Place, Santander’s new head office in Milton Keynes to a high-profile judging panel who will select three winners per category.

 

Our commitment

 

Banco Santander

Banco Santander maintains a firm commitment to progress and inclusive and sustainable growth with a pioneering and consolidated commitment to education, employability and entrepreneurship, which it has been developing for more than 26 years and distinguishes it from other financial institutions in the world.

The bank has allocated more than 2,200 million euros and has supported more than 1 million people and companies through agreements with more than 1,300 universities

 

Oxentia Foundation

Oxentia grew out of Oxford University's technology transfer company, Oxford University Innovation, with the aim of providing specialised innovation management services to public and private sector customers throughout the world.

Oxentia's approach builds on Oxford's strong tradition of globally supporting early-stage innovators and entrepreneurs to promote innovative projects that impact the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The Oxentia Foundation was created to support Oxentia's goal of addressing global inequalities through innovation and entrepreneurship activities.