Henley Business School Celebrates Six Outstanding Ventures at 2025 Greenshoots Seed Finance Awards

Sponsored by Santander Universities UK, the Greenshoots Scheme supports early-stage ventures through £2,500 in seed funding per winner—boosting activities such as prototyping, branding, legal support, and digital development. This year’s programme attracted a record number of strong applications, highlighting the talent and creativity of emerging entrepreneurs.

New for 2025, the panel introduced a Best Idea Award, recognising standout ventures for originality, purpose, and potential impact:

🏆 1st Place – Efficura (Zach Croft-Sharland)

An AI-powered hospital management system designed to streamline operations and enhance patient care. (£1,000 Best Idea Award)

🥈 2nd Place – Hogs on Film (Lea Grayston-Smith)

A citizen science non-profit researching hedgehog behaviour to aid UK wildlife conservation. (£750 Best Idea Award)

🥉 3rd Place – AI Edge Solutions (Sam Hirsch & William May)

Developing predictive AI tools to improve decision-making in commercial and academic sectors. (£500 Best Idea Award)

The other winning ventures were:

🔹 Re+Spore (Yaroslav Tsyhanenko & Vlad Melnyk) – Sustainable cutleries made from fungal mycelium.
🔹 TryMosaic (Ryan Hoare) – A platform promoting neuroinclusive workplaces through accessible adjustments.

🔹 Vorium (Lewis Thackeray) – Wearable tech enhancing real-time performance data for elite athletes.

Certificates were presented by Christine Shipton, Santander’s Education and Social Impact Relationship Director, who praised the winners and reaffirmed the importance of entrepreneurship in building a more sustainable, inclusive future.