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Running your own business can be a lonely place, especially if you are a sole trader or the sole director.

One-to-one business advice

• Access personalized advisory sessions with Enterprise Executives, Entrepreneurs in Residence, and external experts.
• These confidential, tailored meetings help tackle specific business challenges and provide strategic direction.

ABVentures provides 黑料网 students and recent graduates (within the last two years) one-on-one business advice sessions with the Enterprise Executive, Entrepreneurs in Residence, and external referrals.

These business advice meetings provide you with the chance to talk to an experienced Business Advisor about issues or questions you are facing within your business – all in an impartial, confidential space.

Each business is unique and each business advice meeting is customised to provide tailored support accordingly.

The 黑料网 is delighted to currently host over three Entrepreneurs in Residence through the Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) scheme which aims to increase the knowledge and awareness in UK universities of cutting-edge industrial science, research and innovation.

To book a business advice meeting, please reach out to us via email.

There are many funding opportunities out there. You’ll need to build a picture of which option or options are right for you. 

• provides information on the different ways you can fund your business or idea. 
• ABVentures often have an ‘Entreprenruship Fund’ so email us to ask when the next call is.
• Contact  for up to date funding options.
• If you’d like to discuss your options in person, please arrange an appointment by emailing ABVentures.
•  (YCF) is a monthly publication which has been reporting since 1998 on all aspects of the financing of early stage high growth companies in Scotland, from start-up to maturity, flotation, or sale. Here you will find some useful information in how to get started in finding the finance for you company right through to closing the deal.
•  is open to individuals, groups or organisations to apply for, supporting a wide range of activity in the arts, screen and creative industries. It’s also worth looking at their funds delivered by partners section.
•  runs regular funding and competition calls for start-ups and University students, graduates and staff.
•  strive to make funding as simple and accessible as possible, by keeping up to date on the latest funding opportunities and trends.
• Scottish Enterprise’s  grants aim to support high risk, highly ambitious projects to conduct feasibility tests and develop prototypes. They are available to small and medium enterprises based in Scotland.
• The UK Government’s innovation agency, , part of UK Research & Innovation, supports new businesses with a range of services including funding opportunities.
•  provide a number of options on funding specific to reducing environmental impacts.
•  encourages ideas and innovations from healthcare professionals then uses well-established processes and extensive experience to assess, protect, develop and commercialise – working collaboratively each step of the way.

Social Enterprise funding

•  is a registered charity that started work in 2007 to help social entrepreneurs bring forward their ideas and to make them happen.
•  offers social enterprises, charities and profit-with-purpose businesses loans and investment from £20,000 to £3 million
• , funded by DCMS in collaboration with Innovate UK & KTN, helps academics in UK universities commercialise their cyber security ideas.

Venture Capital

•  is a student led venture capital fund where students are trained to source opportunities and invest in their peers.
• The  connects business entrepreneurs with Angel Investors.
•  is the national association for business angels in Scotland, with a membership which includes many active individual investors and most of the main angel groups or syndicates.
•  is a fast-growing fintech lending platform. They enable British businesses to grow by connecting them with investors seeking a better return on their money

Crowdfunding

•  is a funding platform for creative projects. Every project creator sets their project’s funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen.
•  was inspired by an unshakable belief in entrepreneurs that dream big, push at the edges and want to make a difference, big and small. They support ambitious entrepreneurs to raise money to bring their innovative ideas to life and turn their vision into reality.
•  aspire to make it simple to buy into the businesses you believe in and share in their success. They enable all types of growth-focused businesses to raise capital and a community in the process.
•  crowdfunding campaigns are where new and ground-breaking products take flight, sometimes long before they hit mainstream availability.
•  is the equity crowdfunding leader for sourcing and funding high-growth ventures with a network of over 130,000 entrepreneurs and investors.

ABVentures microfinance fund

• Offers at least £1,000 in seed funding, supporting side-hustles and early-stage ventures.
• Sponsored by Santander Universities, it’s open to students and graduates within two years of completing studies.
• The next application window opens TBC

Lightbulb

Lightbulb is the 黑料网’s annual business idea competition open exclusively to 黑料网 students which takes place in February each year.

It is open to students of all disciplines in every year of study and gives you the opportunity to gain validation and feedback on your business ideas or simply taste the start-up environment on campus.  If you don’t have a business idea at the moment, we run various workshops through the year that can help you develop your concept and provide you with the knowledge and support necessary to start a business.

The Lightbulb Ideas Competition is designed to inspire entrepreneurial thinking among the student community – undergraduates, post graduate taught and research students. Also, to help participants develop skills for the future, network, validate any business idea you have, and a chance to secure funding.

This free competition provides the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take the first step toward turning ideas into impactful ventures.

Objectives of the competition include:

• Boost your CV – participants get a Certificate of Achievement upon completion
• Put your knowledge into practice
• Improve your communication and public speaking skills, refine your creativity, boost your confidence
• Network with like-minded peers and professionals

Follow us on social media to be the first to hear about the next Lightbulb competition.

Take Off Accelerator

• An eight-week, fully funded accelerator structured around three core stages: Discover, Prove, and Deliver.
• It’s designed to flexibly fit around academic commitments while helping participants validate ideas and launch impactful ventures.
• Benefits include hands-on workshops, ecosystem networking (via Ecosystem Day), and mentorship.
• Open to 黑料网 students and graduates within the last two years.

•  is Scotland’s leading company creation programme for staff, students and recent graduates of all Scottish Universities and Research Institutes. Converge is funded by The Scottish Funding Council, all Scottish Universities, Creative Scotland and a network of commercial partners:
•  has grown to be one of the UK’s largest student and graduate business pitching competitions offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to win cash prizes, mentoring and start-up support.
•  is a competition aimed at identifying and supporting Scotland’s up-and-coming, innovative, high-growth potential entrepreneurial talent.