2 categories
University and Startup (see below for eligibility).
Open until 16/07/24
Santander X UK Awards 2024
Santander X UK Awards 2024
Calling University and startups! Enter your innovative business and win up to £25,000 in equity-free funding and the opportunity to compete against the best early-stage business from across Europe and Latin America in the Santander X Global Award!
About the Santander X UK Awards 2024
100 shortlisted businesses
50 in the University category and 50 in the Startup category.
Online pitch training and workshops
Join a series of online pitch workshops where experts will breakdown the key elements of a successful business pitch and offer group and 1:1 coaching.
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
The Santander X UK Awards is Santander’s annual entrepreneurship competition for emerging businesses. To date the programme has supported thousands of early-stage entrepreneurs and provided more than £1 million of funding over the last 14 years. Traditionally a competition for student and graduate entrepreneurs, since 2023 applications in the Startup category have been extended to include non-university affiliated businesses.
Last year’s National Final was held at Unity Place, Santander’s new headquarters in Milton Keynes, and featured judges including musician, presenter, and investor Tinie Tempah, former Olympic gold medallist and entrepreneur Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, former Dragon’s Den star and entrepreneur Sam Jones, founder of Gener8, alongside Santander UK’s CEO Mike Regnier and Chairman, William Vereker.
The 6 winners in 2023 were Intotum, RREACT, Natantis, Lambda Agri, ACT Medical and Snowball Community Ltd .
Categories
Your business must be based in the UK and meet the following criteria:
University category
The University category is for early-stage university businesses and entrepreneurs who are preparing their go-to-market strategy and are looking to launch.
If your business has a university connection but you have already launched and you are incorporated, please apply for the Startup category.
Your business must:
- Offer an innovative idea and/or offer a solution which has potential to disrupt the market and which is scalable.
- 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 2019), 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
The startup category is for incorporated UK businesses who are growing and looking to scale.
Your business must:
- Offer an innovative idea and/or offer a solution which has potential to disrupt the market and which is scalable.
- 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:
Key dates
From
22
May
2024
To
16
Jul
2024
Application – stage 1
We'll review applications on a rolling basis, so apply early to give yourself the best chance of being accepted.
From
31
Jul
2024
To
16
Aug
2024
Application – stage 2
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a second stage application.
From
16
Aug
2024
To
05
Sep
2024
Selection
Oxentia and Santander will select 100 businesses (50 in the University category and 50 in Startup).
From
09
Sep
2024
To
27
Sep
2024
Online pitch training and workshops
Join a series of online pitch workshops where experts will breakdown the key elements of a successful business pitch and offer group and 1:1 coaching.
From
30
Sep
2024
To
31
Oct
2024
Pitch heats
All 100 shortlisted businesses will pitch across a series of virtual heats with the final 30 pitching at an in-person semi-final to select 12 finalists (6 per category).
14
Nov
2024
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 is firmly committed to progress with a pioneering and consolidated commitment to education, employability, and entrepreneurship, which it has been developing for more than 27 years and which distinguishes it from other financial institutions across the world.
Banco Santander has been recognised as one of the companies that are contributing the most to changing the world for the better, according to the ‘Change the World’ 2023 list from Fortune. To date, the bank has donated more than €2.2 billion and supported more than one million people and companies through agreements with over 1.300 universities globally.
Oxentia Ldt
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.