
about us
We fund early-stage startups with non-equity seed capital. Each year, we receive over 60 applications, analyse their business plans, and interview them to assess their potential. The best startups are then invited to pitch their ideas at our final round events, where we invite a panel of expert judges.

440
Startup Applicants
252
Interviews conducted
£40k
Total investment
29
Funded Startups

This year we're investing

Step 1
Application
If you are interested in receiving funding for your startup, please fill our our online application form.
Step 3
Interview
If you make it to the interview stage, you will present your startup to our executive team.
Step 5
Funding
Winners will be funded with non-equity seed capital from our society!
Step 2
Analysis
We will review your business plan for market potential and feasibility.
Step 4
Final Round
The best startups will be invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of top venture capitalists and founders.
Dr WIll's
Awarded £1,000 in our 2016 second round, Dr Will’s provide a clean unprocessed alternative to common household sauces such as Ketchup and BBQ sauce. They have now gone on to produce hundreds of bottles of sauce and work with major stockists across the UK.
Know It Wall
Awarded £500 in our 2015 first round, Know It Wall works with academics to make audio and video documentaries, as well as short articles, that explain what is cool or interesting about the subjects they dedicate their lives to.
Survera
Awarded £1000 in our 2017 first round, Suvera is a design focused healthcare startup that allows people to easily manage their medications. They have gone on to develop their app and are now at the testing stages before public launch.
Spherical Defence
Awarded £1000 in our 2016 second round, Spherical Defence is a cyber security startup who provide vulnerability assessment and penetration testing for banks using AI. They have gone onto work with companies such as HSBC on key projects and receive acknowledgement from the office of Indian PM, Narendra Modi, for their accomplishments.
Team Tourist
Awarded £1000 in our 2014 first round, TeamTourist is a web platform that aggregates booking for cruises and tours to deliver customer cheaper group prices. After launching their website, they have expanded to cater for major destinations including Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Athens, Budapest, Paris and many more. With such success they were shortlisted for Richard Branson’s Virgin competition.
The Final Round
The fund is pooled from partners and sponsors who believe startups are one of the highest impact activities an individual can have on society. As a result the selection process is rigorous, the startups we have invested in so far have gone on to win competitions, join London’s top accelerators and become impactful businesses. Part of this process is the Final Round where we invite top Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, Accelerators and successful Founders to scrutinise your business plan and ultimately decide who deserves our investment. Listed below are some of the past firms our judging panel has been composed of.

get in touch
Interested in becoming a VC Partner, have a question about applying? Talk directly to our VC team.
- vcfund@ucle.co
- www.facebook.com/uclevcfund
With thanks to our sponsors & VC Partners











