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Techstart and Creator Fund Challenge

Are you a student, academic or recent graduate at Ulster University or QUB?

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Do you have an innovative business idea?​

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Looking to kickstart your business idea and develop your MVP?

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Find out more at our Competition Launch Event on 24th March at 5pm GMT​

Entries Close: Friday 30th April 2021
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What Is The Techstart And Creator Fund Challenge?

We're on the hunt for Northern Ireland's most exciting university start-ups
  • Win up to £35k of grant funding
  • Receive mentorship and training sessions
  • Pitch in front of investors from across the UK

10 of Northern Ireland's best university entrepreneurs will deliver a virtual pitch on 9th June 2021 to the Creator Fund and TechStart investors, alongside guest judge Paul Taylor (Founder & CEO of Thought Machine).

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3 Winners will be selected: 1 overall winner and 2 runners-up!

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Up for the Challenge? Submit a 1 minute video pitch by midnight on Monday 26th April 2021 to enter.

About
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We are proud to be partnering with Techstart to back the most exciting student start-ups in Northern Ireland.

About Creator Fund

Creator Fund are Europe's leading investors in university-based startups.  Based on the US Dorm Room Fund, CF has teams across 28 campuses and invests up to £150k in student and academic founders.  It has been backed by Schmidt Futures, Founders Factory, and 40+ investors and entrepreneurs.

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Entering The Competition

Why Should I Enter?

The winning pitch is guaranteed a £35k grant from Techstart and hands-on support tailored to your business from The Creator Fund.  The 2 runners-up will receive £10k grants from Techstart.

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Need funding to get your business underway?  Use the Techstart and Creator Fund Challenge to win the cash you need.

Who Can Enter?
  • We are looking for students - or those who have graduated in the past two years - and academics from either Ulster University or Queens University Belfast creating technology enabled, scalable businesses.  Technological innovation should be at the core of the startup.  We have a preference for entrepreneurs using expertise gained from their degrees to build their businesses.

  • We expect most startups to be pre-revenue.  Applicants could be pre-prototype stage with a well thought-through concept, could have developed a minimal viable product, a prototype, or at least advanced plans for a future product.

  • No applicants who have already received a Techstart Proof of Concept Grant

  • No applicants which have already received investment from Techstart or Creator Fund

  • No startup that has received more than £100,000 of private funding to date

  • Applicants/Founding Team must include at least one Academic, PhD, Masters or Undergraduate student at Ulster University or Queen's University Belfast.

  • Startup idea needs to be correlated with eligibility criteria of Techstart and Creator Fund to allow for possible future investment

    • Exploring viability and commercial potential of a novel and innovative concept​

    • Sole Trader, Partnership or Limited Company

    • Resident in Northern Ireland (if Company, must be registered in Northern Ireland)

    • SEIS-eligible

    • Please refer to techstartgrants.com for further eligibility criteria

How Do I Enter?

Applications to the competition will go live on the website on Thursday 25th March.  To enter, all you need to do is submit a 1 minute video pitch. From there, we will whittle the entrants down 10 finalists. The deadline for entries is midnight on Monday 26th April.

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About Techstart

Techstart Ventures is an early-stage technology Venture Capital Fund and is one of the most active seed stage investors in the UK, managing Funds throughout Northern Ireland and Scotland. Techstart is a trusted investment partner to ambitious founders on their journey to success. In Northern Ireland, Techstart also provide a £4.5m Proof of Concept Grant Fund. On a competitive basis, this grant fund supports entrepreneurs with grants to explore the viability and commercial potential of an innovative concept on the road to making the important decision to start a company.

2

NI Universities

1

Overall Winner

£55k

of funding available
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