Have you got an idea for a new business that you’ve been working on? Or have you recently started a business and need some support and funding to grow? The Open University is reopening its Open Business Creators Fund with £30k from Santander Universities and The Higher Education Innovation Fund.

This opportunity is open to OU students or recent alumni in the UK at the idea or early stage of starting a business. We hope this initiative gives you the confidence, capabilities, and connections you need to succeed!

This year, we will award individual grants of up to £1,500. These funds will support new business creators as they start their entrepreneurial journey.
To find the best ideas and businesses, our judges will ask you to use the Validate platform by SimVenture. This tool helps you explain your business idea and create a portfolio to apply for funding. 

How to enter

Participants have until Friday 16 May 2025 to create their portfolios in Validate. Judges will review portfolios in June and provide feedback to everyone who enters. We will announce the grant recipients by 14 June 2025.

The Open Business Creators Fund is open to both commercial and social enterprise ideas. We want to help nurture your ideas and support those who are serious about taking the next steps with their business.

1. You must be enrolled on this site so that you are able to access all the links needed to apply for funding in May.

2. You will need to work on your business idea in the Validate platform and complete your portfolio for review by our judges panel.  When you are ready, you will export the link to your portfolio.

3. To apply for funding, you will need to complete the Open Business Creators entry form (opens in May) and submit the link to your Validate portfolio.

The deadline for entries will be midnight on Friday 16 May 2025.

You can find supporting resources, our terms and conditions and the entry form by visiting the “Competition content” tab at the top of this page.

Participants are eligible to apply for funding if they reside in the UK and are over 16 on 16/05/2025. Employees of The Open University cannot enter. If you have questions or need materials in other formats, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Competition Content

Competition Outcomes

The goals of this opportunity are:

• To provide individuals with the knowledge and resources they need to start their own businesses.
• To boost confidence among participants, enabling them to pursue their entrepreneurial ideas.
• To connect participants with additional business support resources and networks.
• To enable participants to present their business idea to a panel of judges (potential investors).