£3M Investment Awaits in 2025 Rising Stars Tech Competition

By Anushka Malhotra

1 minute 29 seconds

Tech

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Quick Read: The 2025 Rising Stars competition, a collaboration between Tech Nation and OnetoWin, offers £3 million in funding to early-stage UK tech startups across diverse sectors, with mentorship and regional heats culminating in a grand finale at London Tech Week.

Tech Nation, in partnership with OnetoWin, has unveiled the 2025 Rising Stars competition, a national initiative offering £3 million in investment to the UK’s most promising early-stage tech startups.

This year, the competition is bolstered by a merger with the West Midlands' OnetoWin pitch competition and supported by prominent backers including Rigby Group (SCC), Haatch, Wealth Club, HSBC Innovation Banking, Amazon Web Services, and the British Business Bank.

Regional Collaboration to Spotlight Talent

The competition is further strengthened by partnerships with regional organisations such as Manchester Digital, TechSPARK (Bristol), ScotlandIS, and Innovate Cambridge.

Over nine weeks of regional heats, tech startups will vie for a spot in the grand finale at London Tech Week, where the top 10 finalists will pitch their ideas to a live audience of investors, industry leaders, and media for a share of the £3 million investment fund.

Opportunities for Startups Across Sectors

Open to B2B and B2B2C tech founders, the competition spans a range of sectors including agritech, edtech, medtech, AI, health, and beauty tech.

Early-Stage Track: Tailored for pre-seed and seed-stage startups, with regional finalists competing for the

Haatch Regional Investment Prize of £335,000: Over £2 million in prizes will be distributed across regional heats.

Later-Stage Track: Focused on pre-Series A and Series A companies, with the grand prize of £1 million to be awarded at London Tech Week.

Applications are open from 21 January to 2 March 2025, with startups evaluated on team experience, business traction, value proposition, and growth potential.

Mentorship and Industry Access

Participants will benefit from tailored mentoring to refine their pitches and business strategies ahead of the finale.

Steve Rigby, co-CEO of Rigby Group, said:

"Talent can only thrive when it meets opportunity. This competition provides UK tech entrepreneurs with the resources, mentorship, and connections needed to develop groundbreaking ideas that can drive economic growth and tackle real-world challenges."

Carolyn Dawson, CEO of Founders Forum Group, added:

"The Rising Stars competition supports scaleups across the UK, providing better resources and investment to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and opportunities in all regions. This is a vital step for nurturing our tech ecosystem."

What's new

CreaTech Frontiers Launch Unlocks £250K in Funding for West Midlands Creative Innovators

Creative SMEs in the West Midlands are being given a major boost with the launch of CreaTech Frontiers, a new innovation cluster that has opened applications for the first £250,000 round of grant funding.

The programme, which offers individual grants of up to £10,000, is designed to help freelancers and small creative businesses develop groundbreaking ideas at the intersection of creativity and technology. The funding forms part of a £7.2 million, five-year initiative led by a consortium of regional powerhouses including Birmingham City University (BCU), University of Birmingham, Coventry University, University of Warwick, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. It’s funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of the UK Research and Innovation's Creative Industries Cluster Programme.

Photo Credit: University of Warwick

Officially launched on April 29 at STEAMhouse, BCU’s innovation centre, CreaTech Frontiers marks the first time the West Midlands has received funding through this prestigious national scheme.

Professor Lamberto Coccioli, Director of CreaTech Frontiers, said:

“These early-stage grants will give creative entrepreneurs access not just to capital, but also to university-led research and resources that can turn ambitious ideas into reality. This is about unlocking cultural, social and economic value across the region.”

CreaTech Frontiers is aiming to ignite a wave of innovation in sectors like gaming, immersive tech, live performance, visual arts, and creative technologies. Successful applicants will also gain access to facilities across the five partner institutions, along with specialist academic support during the R&D phase.

Future plans include a second, larger round of grant funding, a pilot with Birmingham Opera Company, collaborative projects with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the formation of an apprenticeship working group to support skills development.

Rachel Davis, Director of Warwick Enterprise, said:

“Through this collaboration, we’re strengthening the region’s identity as a creative and tech innovation hub. With a shared focus on inclusion and sustainability, CreaTech Frontiers will ensure diverse voices are at the forefront of this growing ecosystem.”

The West Midlands Combined Authority is also backing the initiative, which it believes could contribute £65 million and create 1,500 jobs by 2030 within the regional creative and gaming economy.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker added:

“Our region is full of bold, young thinkers pushing the boundaries of tech and creativity. CreaTech Frontiers connects these minds with the world-class research coming out of our universities, creating the conditions for global impact.”

Applications open Monday 2 June 2025.

Interested SMEs can register now

to be part of the next generation of CreaTech pioneers.

By Anushka Malhotra

2 May