Henley Greenshoots Seed Finance Award Scheme

Greenshoots is targeted at businesses recently launched by students and graduates of the University of Reading, including the Henley Business School. Particular interest is sought from businesses that have occupied either the Henley Start-Up Business Incubator or the Entrepreneurship Hub and those who have previously participated in the IDEAFEST Student Business Idea Competition and the Henley Summer Start-Up Boot Camp that have gone on to start a business.

Greenshoots 2022 has now closed for applications. The presentation of the awards to the winners will be made on 28 June 2022.

The businesses chosen to receive the Greenshoots funding for 2022 are as follows:

- Authentura, a cyber security service offering firms a software security audit report of their websites

- Catenna, a consultancy and software development platform to connect research and business, utilising artificial intelligence to match suitable companies with research institutions to help take research forward and apply it commercially

- Fitness Discipline Coaching, an online fitness coaching business that offers a combined package of traditional personal training and mindset development to support customers to develop their discipline and willpower

- Insight Ed, a platform to connect young people to businesses through business boot camps, with SMEs benefiting from business analysis and young people gaining hands-on work experience and skills training

- Nilbon Yoga, a business that offers group and one-to-one yoga therapy for those suffering from chronic pain and musculoskeletal conditions

- Optique Contacts, a subscription service for prescription contact lenses

- Phytavaren Technology, a biotech company that produces a vertical façade installation planter system into the external walls off buildings, using biophilic design and phytoremediation technology to cleanse water waste and air pollution

- Zer0 FS, a digital bank targeted at Gen-Z customers that rewards carbon positive behaviour

The full story of the Greenshoots 2021 award presentation can be read here.

To be eligible for Greenshoots funding, businesses must be incorporated at/after 1 August 2020 and meet the eligibility criteria as more specifically described below:

- Entrants must be students or graduates of the University of Reading or Henley Business School - graduates must have graduated in 2022 or later

- Entrants can be individuals or teams

- Entrants must be permanent UK residents or, in the case of non-EEA students or graduates, hold an appropriate visa and have been living in the UK for the duration of their University of Reading or Henley Business School studies

- Start-up must be registered as a trading company in the UK

- All entrants must be at least 18 years old

- Entrants must own a majority share (>50%) in the start-up

- Students who set up businesses as a result of their course (e.g. BA Entrepreneurship) or module (e.g Applied Entrepreneurship) are eligible

- HCfE reserves the right to check the personal details provided by the entrants on entry to make sure that you meet the awards eligibility criteria

- Previous recipients of a Greenshoots award are ineligible

Greenshoots is sponsored and supported by Santander.