Are you a university entrepreneur, startup or SME with ambitions to grow?
Enter your business into the Santander X UK Awards 2025 for the chance to win a share of £135K in equity-free funding and the opportunity to compete against the best early-stage businesses from across Europe and Latin America in the Santander X Global Award!
Who can enter?
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 legally incorporated, please apply for the Startup category.
Your business should:
- 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 2020), or an entrepreneur from a university incubator, accelerator or spin-out).
- Have a minimun viable product and 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).
Startup category
The Startup category is for early-stage legally incorporated UK businesses generating up to £250k annual revenue who are growing and looking to scale.
If your business is generating more than £250k annual revenue, or you have more than 25 employees, please apply for the SME category.
Your business should:
- Be legally incorporated and registered in the UK.
In addition your business must also meet one or more of the following criteria:
- An annual revenue of up to £250k.
- Raised funding of between £50,000 and £750,000.
- Between 2-25 full-time employees (this can include your founding team).
SME Category
The SME category is for legally incorporated UK businesses generating over £250k annual revenue.
If your business is generating less than £250k annual revenue please apply for the Startup category.
Your business should:
- Be legally incorporated and registered in the UK.
In addition your business must also meet one or more of the following criteria:
- An annual revenue of over £250k.
- Between 25 -250 full-time employees.
Prizes
Winners will receive the following equity-free cash prizes:
University: 1st place – £15,000 2nd place – £10,000 3rd place £5,000
Startup: 1st place – £20,000 2nd place £15,000 3rd place £10,000
SME: 1st place – £30,000 2nd place £20,000 3rd place £10,000