Terms and Conditions

To be eligible to apply for the Start-up Fund, you must be one of the following:

• Loughborough University Undergraduate Student
• Loughborough University Masters Student
• Loughborough University PhD / Doctoral Student (where the business idea is not connected to Loughborough University or third-party research)
• Loughborough University Graduate (within two years of graduation)

Due to visa restrictions, International and Exchange students are not eligible to apply.

Key things to note:

Your business / business idea must be at either pre-trading or early stages of development.

A detailed financial breakdown will be required at the full application stage (once invited to apply).

It is your responsibility to ensure that the information provided in your presentation and pitch to the panel is not made public, in case you want to protect your idea in the future (Intellectual Property and / or Non-Disclosure Agreements for Confidentiality - more information on these can be found on our Resources page).

Any award made to you via the Start-Up Fund must only be used for business purposes only and spent within 12 months of receiving it.

Unfortunately, we cannot support all businesses...

Start-up Fund - Terms & Conditions to what funding can be used for:   
 
Loughborough Enterprise Network will not support businesses or ideas that are related to any of the following: 

• Alcohol 
• Drugs (this includes any business or idea connected to tobacco, vaping, CBD oils etc.) 
• Pornography 
• Political or Religious agendas 
• Gambling 
• Illegal or Unregulated activity (such as cryptocurrencies) 
• Property 
• Finance or Trading (e.g. any ideas that would need approval from the Financial Conduct Authority) 
• Dating applications 

Other considerations to note:  

• Funding cannot be used for reoccurring costs, such as, renting fees, stock etc.  
• Fund requests for Laptops, MACbooks, Ipads etc – must be supported with demonstrated/predicted business impact  
• Funding cannot be used for Travel or Accommodation costs  

Please note: this list is not exhaustive and is reviewed and added to on a case-by-case basis 

Should you have any queries, please email LEN@lboro.ac.uk.  

The Start-Up Fund won't fund everything.

The Start-up Fund, should be used for one-off costs and purchases that are crucial to your business's development. 

Funding requests for technical equipment such as mobile phones, laptops and ipads are not recommended however we appreciate purchasing this equipment can hinder business growth and therefore request will be considered with evidence of a genuine need. There is no guarantee that funding will be provided for all technical equipment. 
Your application will be thoroughly reviewed – therefore sufficient evidence, demonstrating how the technical equipment will impact your business will be required before a final decision is made. 

How many times can I apply?

While one bid at the maximum of £5,000 will be allowed per student, multiple bids will be permitted up to the cumulative value of £5,000 per business/individual. To apply more than once, you will require prior permission from the Loughborough Enterprise Network Team. 

The Start-Up Fund will open once a year. 
Therefore, we strongly recommend that you submit your expression of interest form, as soon as you are ready. 

For more details of our expectations and offer, please click here.