Call for Startups: Santander X United Kingdom Award

The Santander X UK Awards 2024 (referred to as the Awards) is Santander UK’s annual early-stage entrepreneurship competition. The 6 winners of the Awards will join the winners from Europe and Latin America to compete in the 2025 Santander X Global Award (referred to as the Global Award) – Santander’s international early-stage entrepreneurship competition. In the Global Award they’ll have a chance to win cash prizes and additional benefits to take their business solutions to the next level.

Award Categories

• 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.
• Startup category: The startup category is for incorporated UK businesses who are growing and looking to scale.

What you will get?

• Three winners will receive up to £25,000 funding and go forward to represent the UK in the Santander X Global Award, Santander’s international early-stage entrepreneurship competition. In the Global Award you’ll compete with entrepreneurs from countries across Europe and Latin America to win additional cash prizes, international exposure and more!
• 50 businesses will be shortlisted in September. If selected you’ll have the opportunity to join a series of expert-led online pitch workshops and receive group and 1:1 pitch coaching.
• All shortlisted businesses will pitch virtually through a series of heats to select 15 semi-finalists who will pitch in-person at Unity Place, Santander’s new HQ in Milton Keynes, to decide the six finalists.
• Make it to the final six businesses in the Startup category and you’ll get the chance to pitch live to a panel of high-profile judges, including Mike Regnier, Santander UK Chief Executive, and Sanatander UK Chairman, William Vereker, at the National Final on 14 November.

Prize Information

• Successful winners and finalists will receive the following cash prizes:
  • 1st place: £25,000
  • 2nd place: £15,000
  • 3rd place: £10,000
  • 4th–6th place: £2,500
• Winners will also receive a package of business support.

Eligibility Criteria

• University category
  • At least one team member must be connected to a UK university as either:
    • a current student (undergraduate or postgraduate)
    • a graduate of the last 5 years (since 2019)
    • a university employee
    • an entrepreneur within a university accelerator, incubator or spin out company
  • The business must have an innovative idea and/or offer a solution which has potential to disrupt the market and which is scalable.
  • The business must be a team of two or more people and/or have a plan in place to form a team. For solo founders, additional team members can include advisers, board members and/or full and parttime staff including voluntary roles.
  • The business must have a minimum viable product (MVP) and be preparing to go to market.
  • Throughout the process all applicants/members of the participating business must be legally residing within the UK.
• Startup Category
  • The business must be incorporated and registered as a UK company. Please note that the founding team can be resident in a different country as long as the business is incorporated in the UK.
  • The business must have an innovative idea and/or offer a solution which has potential to disrupt the market, and which is scalable.
  • In addition to the above, businesses must also meet one or more of the following:
    • Have a product and/or service already in the market.
    • Be generating revenue from the product/service of £250k or less in the last financial year.
    • Have raised funding of between £50k to £850k.
    • Have 2 to 25 full-time employees (this can include the founding team).
  • All applicants/members of the participating businesses must be at least 18 years old.
  • Applicants/participating businesses must confirm they meet the above criteria upon submitting their application.

For more information, visit Santander.