Winners of Big Venture Challenge will get an initial £25K grant and the chance to access up to £150K of seed funding if matched by loans or equity from co-investors, plus first class business support and mentoring designed to keep pace with high growth social entrepreneurs. 

• people with big ideas to transform disadvantaged communities across England
• people who have got what it takes to build credible ventures
• people who have the ambition to scale up impact fast

If you think these could be you, visit the Big Venture Challenge website to enter.

The company launched its UK and Ireland service in February before launching the US service at the prestigious SxSW festival in March. To date over 500 entrepreneurs have signed up, and there are currently over 100 projects seeking funding.

For more information and start seeking investment visit www.seedups.com.

The presentation is available from the Capital Enterprise website.

Kick Start

Entrants can earn an investment of up to £30,000 in their business as well as gaining invaluable advice, support and mentoring.

The Kick Start programme is looking for the very best and brightest entrepreneurs.

- Do you have a well thought through idea that you feel passionately about and are ready to throw yourself into?

- Have you developed a product or service that you are ready to launch?

- Are you already running a business and need help to really take it to next level?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes – Kick Start is for you.

Applications close by 6^th May 2011 so APPLY HERE NOW.

The top three Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Award winners each month (as per the judges’ scores) will automatically be put through to our ‘Hot 40’ shortlist for the annual £10,000 Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award final taking place in November.

You can also watch video interviews with entrepreneurs such as designer Wayne Hemingway (Founder of Red or Dead) on the Shell LiveWIRE website.

For pre-advice information, you can book a Business Clinic appointment at Royal Holloway.

Open to all Royal Holloway students and staff

Do you want to unlock the potential of an entrepreneurial idea? Do you have an idea for a sustainable, scalable commercial or social enterprise that needs an injection of cash to show that it could work?

If you think that you can develop an idea into a sustainable commercial or social enterprise, you can apply for a grant of up to £2,000. Teams consisting of at least one member of staff and one student are invited to apply for project funding. You are also encouraged to invite alumni to join your team.

The purpose of the scheme is to fund out-of-pocket expenses in developing an entrepreneurial idea with potential to become a sustainable, scalable commercial or social enterprise and which may prove sufficiently robust to attract follow-on WestFocus/PARK seed funding of up to £50,000.

The deadline for 2010-11 grant applications is 10am Monday 7^th March 2011.

Download the Minigrant guidelines and application form in Word format
Download the Minigrant guidelines and application form in PDF format

Email minigrants@rhul.ac.uk for more information.

Mini-grant clinics

If you would like some early feedback on your idea, you can meet with the Entrepreneurship Careers Adviser, John King. A drop-in service operates 10:00 to 11:00 every Tuesday in the Careers Service.

Springboard is a mentorship-led accelerator program for startups, providing seed capital, office space and a “smart-community” with mentors and other entrepreneurs.

Springboard comes in the shape of an intensive 13 week programme based at the inspirational ideaSpace, part of Cambridge University’s state-of-the-art Hauser Forum. It’s the product of learning from other accelerator programs (specifically Y Combinator and TechStars in the US and the Difference Engine in the UK) and adapting them to fit an international environment.

Historically, over 50% of the starts up who enter these programmes have succeeded in raising capital in the next round of funding. Alongside this each founder is provided with £5,000 (up to a maximum of three founders per startup). The founders move to Cambridge for the 13 week programme where they receive intense mentoring and business support.

Springboard culminates in an Investor Day where the teams get to present to venture capitalists and angel investors.

Applications for the Spring 2011 intake are open now.

Funding Central

If you are completely or relatively new to fundraising, Funding Central provides a guided search enabling you to identify the most appropriate funding and finance opportunities that best suit you and the beneficiaries that you support.

As a team at Seedcamp London you will:

• Get access to a world-class network of advisors to help you with every aspect of your business
• Be recognised as one of the 20 best start-ups in the region
• Open a direct route to seed and venture capital

The deadline for applications is 12th January – apply now!