Exploring a problem space, or developing your first solution? Get funding from King's Validation Fund to start building your venture.
Open to current King's students and alumni (graduated within the last two years), King's Validation Fund provides up to £400 in funding to help you test and validate an early-stage business idea.
How it works
We're looking for applicants who have identified a clear problem worth solving and have started validating their idea through early testing.
To get started you'll need to complete Modules 1-4 in our Online Incubator. The Incubator is a new, self-paced course, designed to equip you with the skills you need to take your first steps with your idea - from identifying and disrupting a problem space, analysing competitors, developing a Business Model Canvas, through to validating your early idea with real-world testing. Content can be accessed any time, anywhere!
Applications for the Validation Fund open quarterly.
Eligibility:
To be eligible for the King's Validation Fund, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be a current King's College London student or alumni (graduated within the last two years).
- Have a well-formed idea or early-stage venture (less than one year old).
- Your idea cannot be revenue generating and you must not have received funding from the Entrepreneurship Institute previously, for the same idea. You do not need to have registered a company to apply.
- Completed Modules 1-4 on the Online Incubator.
- Achieved at least 70% in the module 1-4 assessments.
- Completed a Business Model Canvas.
Key dates:
- 13th May 2025: Applications open - apply now!
- 6th June 2025: Applications close
- 9th - 20th June 2025: Shortlisting
- 23rd - 27th June 2025: Semi-finalist interviews
- 30th June 2025: Winners announced
Your application should include:
- Information about you and your idea
- Summary of the problem, your solution and market potential
- Evidence of any validation done so far (e.g surveys, interviews, user testing) and any insights learned. You will be asked to discuss this, if shortlisted for interview.
- A clear budget breakdown, showing how you plan to use the funding
You will receive a decision within two weeks of the deadline. If you are unsuccessful, you will receive feedback and are welcome to re-apply in future rounds.
You can apply for funding to support practical validation activities, including:
- Market research to explore customer needs and test demand
- Building a simple prototype or MVP
- Subscriptions for tools to create landing pages or run surveys
- Paid ads to test messaging, channels, or value proposition
- Incentives for customer interviews or survey responses
- Any other reasonable costs that help you validate your idea
The fund cannot be used for:
- Salaries or stipends
- Business registration or incorporation fees (unless essential for a pilot)
- Office supplies or equipment purchases
- Merchandise, events, or prizes not tied to validation
- Marketing for an already launched business
- Repaying debts or covering past expenses
- Any costs not directly linked to testing your idea
Frequently asked questions
You can apply for between £100 and £400 per venture or team.
No. Only one application venture is allowed.
Your idea must be less than one year old, not yet generating revenue, and not previously won funding from the Entrepreneurship Institute for the same idea.
It is open to current students and alumni (graduated within the last two years) who have completed Modules 1 to 4 of the Online Incubator.
We aim to support between 5 and 8 ventures per cycle.
Yes. We provide feedback on unsuccessful applications and encourage resubmission in future rounds.
We aim to notify all applicants after two weeks of the application deadline.
Details will be confirmed upon selection. Payment will be made after signing a funding agreement.
You will need to submit a short progress update three months after receiving the grant, outlining what you achieved and how the funding has supported your progress.