Grow It awards

 

If you already have a business, social enterprise or you are self-employed,  you can apply for up to £5,000 to grow your company.

You will need to be able to show that you already have a product or service that has been tested on customers and you have made some money from it and your business, social enterprise or side hustle is registered.

 

Who we’re looking for

• You have identified a challenge worth solving and developed a business model that works to solve it
• You are experienced, ambitious and capable of growing your venture
• You have a realistic plan for growth
• You are a current QMUL student or graduated less than three years ago
• You will be living in the UK during the period that the award money is spent

About your business or social enterprise

• Your business is at least 6 months old and ideally less than 5 years old
• Your venture is predominantly based in the UK
• Your business, social enterprise or side hustle is registered

To be eligible to apply you must:

• have a proven commercial, social or self-employed enterprise: you’ve validated your idea by engaging with your customers and you have made some money from your business.
• be current QMUL student or graduated less than three years ago or if you're part of a team, the lead applicant is a QMUL student or graduated less than three years ago.
• Have a QM Careers Hub account. If you are a graduate, you can still access QM Careers Hub (TargetConnect) However your student details will no longer work and you will need to register for an graduate account. Once you have registered, the Careers team will approve this and merge your existing student account with your new graduate account so you don’t lose any of your profile. If you have any questions about your QM Careers Hub account, please contact careers@qmul.ac.uk. Please note it might take a few days to register for your new account, so please take this into consideration.

You aren't eligible if:

• You are a current international student. Due to T4 Student Visa restrictions, we are not able to fund you or your business idea. However you can apply to our Build It awards. 
• You have not yet validated your business idea and/or generated some revenue.

We encourage you to book an Enterprise Appointment with the Enterprise team before submitting your application. To book an appointment, call 020 7882 8533 or book online

How to apply

• Complete our application form on QM Careers Hub. 

• Create a 2-minute video pitch (max) that introduces your idea. In your pitch you should include:
  • A summary of your idea
  • What problem are you solving and your solution
  • Who your customers/ users are (e.g. who you think would pay for it)
  • Why you need funding, and how this funding will allow you to test your concept

• Upload your video by the next available deadline to any hosting service such as YouTube or Vimeo, and write the link on your application form 

• If your application is successful you will be invited to pitch again in person at a panel interview.

Funding deadlines

Applications are open and will close 1st December 2024.

If you have any queries about enterprise funding, please email us at enterprise@qmul.ac.uk