Women in Innovation Funding Competition to Strengthen Late-Stage Startups (UK)

The focus areas of the opportunity are to support Women in Innovation Award winners whose innovation is aligned to one of the following three high growth sectors defined in the Government’s Industrial Strategy; Advanced Manufacturing, Digital and Technologies and Life Sciences, who have a late stage start-up with ambitions to grow a scalable business which will involve raising considerable investment in the next 12 to 24 months, have built a basic version of the idea or product, service, solution, for example a prototype or Minimal Viable Product, have received early interest from users, customers, or made some money, know who the product is for and have started testing how the business will work, have an understanding of realistic market opportunity, and have started forming a team, going beyond original founders.

This opportunity specifically targets Women in Innovation Award winners who are working on innovations in the three high growth sectors recognised under the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy. The programme provides financial support for founders who are ready to scale their businesses after validating their idea and establishing early traction with customers or users.

The competition seeks applications from late-stage startups that are preparing for large-scale business growth. Eligible projects must request grant funding of up to £75,000 and are required to run for a duration of 12 months. The support aims to accelerate business development activities that will enable founders to secure substantial investment over the next 12 to 24 months.

Founders are expected to demonstrate that their business has moved beyond the initial concept phase. The opportunity supports startups that have already developed a prototype or minimal viable product, tested their business model, confirmed market interest, and begun building a team beyond the original founding group.

For more information, visit Innovate UK.