Ignite, the Ford Family Foundation's flagship pitching event for social entrepreneurs seeking funding, has launched its 2025 event.

The grant competition for social entrepreneurs emerging from UK universities is now open for entries after last year's six finalists shared more than £300,000 in funding for their start-up businesses.

The fifth annual Investing in Women Code report was launched in London this week with key findings highlighting the strides made by the initiative.

Up from 12 founding signatories when it launched in 2019, the Investing in Women Code represents an increasingly powerful ambition to back the UK's women-led businesses.

South Yorkshire tech startups are being offered support to validate their new early-stage ideas through a new incentive programme launched to boost the region's tech startups.

The support comes from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority funded TECH SY project, which is offering either financial grants or support from a specialist consultancy to promising startups in South Yorkshire as part of the wider aim to help scale up our tech eco-system.

The Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade has announced that £6.6bn of new capital is being committed by the British Business Bank to boost growth, marking a major step change in financing to support smaller businesses to start and scale in the UK.

ET Capital is launching a new investment fund designed to make investing in Cambridge's thriving startup ecosystem more accessible to investors, particularly individuals. The fund will invest in a broad range of technology-based businesses to enhance its risk and return profile, and offer the benefits of the attractive SEIS and EIS tax relief schemes where appropriate

Cambridge University's impulse programme alumni is leading the charge in battery innovation. 

Aston University launched its Enterprise Strategy to an audience of industry executives, entrepreneurs and local leaders at John Cadbury House in Birmingham city centre on Thursday 6 February 2025.

A cornerstone of the enterprise strategy is the Birmingham Innovation Precinct, an ambitious initiative that will establish a technology-driven innovation ecosystem at the heart of the city built on strategic and inclusive collaborations. The precinct is being developed in partnership between Aston University, Bruntwood SciTech and Birmingham City Council.

The highly anticipated Athena VC Festival is set to take place on 13 May 2025 at Nexus, University of Leeds. Uniting women venture capitalists, aspiring investors, and industry allies, this landmark event is designed to promote equity, innovation, and collaboration in venture capital.

Oxford Innovation Finance, the home of OION and Oxford Innovation EIS Growth Fund, has launched its first independent SEIS Growth Fund. This fund targets innovative UK science and technology startups, responding to increased investor demand for SEIS investments and the growing pool of high-quality SEIS opportunities.

British Business Investments has provided an initial £20m funding facility to Sprk Capital Limited. The facility will provide capital to smaller businesses in the UK engaged in innovation.

A government programme that was founded half a century ago has reached a milestone at Aston University.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) were established to boost UK businesses through collaboration with universities and other research organisations.

As the KTP scheme turns 50, Aston University has reached its own milestone by managing 40 projects concurrently, more than at any other time in its history. This is the largest KTP portfolio in the UK.

Building on the success of the inaugural and second-year Seed Capital Investment Fund, The Dyers' Company has launched the Fund for a third year. This initiative is designed to support innovation and the commercialisation of business ideas within the colouration industry. The deadline for applications is 5th March 2025.