Win a share of £1,000 to launch your startup!

Have an idea but need funding to get it off the ground? Launch Point could help make it happen. 

This competition offers a share of a £1,000 prize pot to support early-stage businesses. If you're building a business and need money to reach your next milestone, we want to hear from you. Just submit a three-minute video pitch telling us about it.

How to enter 

Submit a three-minute video pitch along with some basic company details. 

Please note:

• YouTube is the preferred platform for video uploads. We recommend setting your video to unlisted.
• Video must not exceed three minutes. Videos that are too long, or that have been sped up to fit the time limit, will be disqualified.
• Slides are allowed, but we must be able to see the person pitching. AI voiceovers are not allowed and will be disqualified.

Who’s it for? 

Open to all University of Edinburgh students and recent graduates (up to two years post-graduation). Teams are welcome. Only one co-founder needs to be a current University of Edinburgh student or recent graduate to apply on behalf of the team. 

Visa eligibility: If you're on a student visa, you must be in your final year with plans to switch to a visa that permits business activity after graduation. See our visa information page for general guidance.

Reapplying? Previous Launch Point winners can apply again with a new idea, as long as you haven't received competition funding within the last 12 months for the same idea. 

How much will I win?

The total prize pot is typically £1,000. We often award £500 for first place, £300 for second place and £200 for third, but this can change. Final allocations are based on the quality of applications and are decided by our Student Enterprise team judging panel. 

What does a good application look like 

You've got three minutes to sell yourself, your idea and your vision. Winning pitches will showcase the following:

1. Hook – Grab our attention and show us why the idea is exciting.
2. Problem – Show that you're tackling an important, urgent problem.
3. Solution – Explain how the solution is innovative and clearly solves the problem. We recommend showing us what your product or service actually looks like (e.g. a screen recording, diagram, sketch, model, or image).
4. Revenue model – Show the plan to make money, and why customers will pay for it.
5. Market size – Demonstrate this is a big opportunity with a significant customer base.
6. Go-to-market strategy – Show a plan for getting this into customers' hands.
7. Competition – Show an understanding of the alternatives and why this solution is better.
8. Team – Show us why you're the right people to build this.
9. Traction – Showcase any work to date that proves demand (e.g. customer conversations, market research, tests you've run).
10. Ask – Clearly demonstrate how the funding will help you.

Deadline: 9 November at 10am (GMT) 

Winners notified: via email by 13 November