£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

West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator Unlocks Nearly £50M in Private Investment

The West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA), led by the University of Birmingham, has generated an impressive £49.4 million in private co-investment within its first two years, significantly surpassing its original £14.5 million public funding allocation.

Funded through the Innovation Accelerator programme, coordinated by Innovate UK, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation, WMHTIA has become a leading force in advancing health technology innovation across the region.

The majority of the private investment—£36.3 million—was directly committed by investors to enterprises supported by the Accelerator. This achievement represents a threefold return on the initial public investment, demonstrating the strong investor confidence in the region’s health tech sector.

Powering Health Innovation Through Collaboration

The WMHTIA brings together 21 partners from academia, industry, and the NHS to help healthtech companies develop, validate, and commercialise cutting-edge medical technologies. So far, companies supported through the programme have also secured an additional £10 million in national public grants from agencies including NIHR, Eureka, and Innovate UK.

Including both public and private contributions, the total investment leveraged by WMHTIA now stands at £67.3 million.

Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor, University of Birmingham:

We’re proud to support startups through the riskiest stages of innovation so more life-saving technologies reach patients. This exceptional investment proves what’s possible when academia, the NHS, and industry work together to drive economic growth and better health outcomes.

In March 2025, the Innovation Accelerator programme was extended with a further £30 million, including £4 million for the WMHTIA to continue supporting the region’s innovators in 2025/26.

Backing the Future of Health Tech

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands:

The West Midlands is leading medical tech innovation—from faster diagnoses to shorter hospital stays. Healthtech isn’t just improving lives; it’s creating secure, high-value jobs that drive inclusive growth.

Dean Cook, Executive Director of Place and Global, Innovate UK:

This programme shows how place-based innovation can unlock greater business investment in R&D. By connecting the region’s strengths, we’re creating high-value jobs and building globally significant innovation capability.

The WMHTIA continues to strengthen the region’s reputation as a national hub for health technology, with far-reaching benefits for patient care, job creation, and regional economic development.

By Anushka Malhotra

24 Jun