AREA currently runs three annual pitching competitions, offering ARU students and recent graduates the chance to win funding for their businesses, or business ideas.
#ThinkBigARU is an exciting opportunity to pitch your business, or business idea, for feedback, support, networks, and other forms of investment.
Do you have a start-up or start-up idea you want to launch or develop? Would you like to get experience of pitching to real entrepreneurs and business leaders?
Take part in #ThinkBigARU.
All entrants who get to the pitching stage of the competition will receive:
We've partnered with Engineers and Scientists in Business Fellowship (ESBF) to help engineering, science, and biomedical students, and recent graduates, develop their commercial skills and apply them in entrepreneurial ventures. Through ESBF, you'll have the opportunity to win up to £3,000 (for 20 or more eligible students or graduates) to support your business.
The pitching events will take place in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Writtle (subject to the number of pitches shortlisted from each campus).
Are you ready to pitch? Find out more in the FAQs below!
Any current ARU student or recent graduate (within the last three years).
A: Yes, but at least one member of the team must be a current ARU student or recent graduate (up to three years).
Fill in our MS Teams form, which includes a section to provide a link to your one-minute video pitch.
You must clearly state the problem or customer need, your proposed solution, and your vision for success.
All entries must be received by midday on 30 January 2026.
Notifications to entrants will be sent out by 5pm on Monday 16 February 2026. Successful entrants will be invited to attend a bootcamp-style event to help prepare for pitching.
Pitches will take place from Monday 9 March – Friday 20 March 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed).
Investment is not guaranteed. However, if you are closing an investment round or a good match for the investors, you could be in with a chance to receive funding to take your idea to the next level.
Additionally, other support from Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs), Anglia Ruskin Enterprise Academy (AREA) and specialist advisers will be available to help you take the next step.
Feedback on your pitch will be provided and you may then have the opportunity to re-pitch at a future event.
The following degrees are eligible but not limited to:
Please email [email protected] to double-check your eligibility for the fund.
Want to find out more about ThinkBigARU? Email us at [email protected]
The Enterprise Impact Fund is designed to support purpose-driven, socially impactful student and graduate ventures emerging from the #ThinkBigARU Pitching Competition.
After the #ThinkBigARU competition, six to eight student founders or teams who demonstrate entrepreneurial talent, a strong sense of purpose, and the potential to create social impact will be shortlisted to compete for the £5,000 Enterprise Impact Fund investment.
This initiative is generously supported by Curzon Consulting, whose funding is helping ARU back the next generation of student entrepreneurs creating positive change.
The Enterprise Impact Fund offers more than financial backing. It's an opportunity for ARU students and graduates to develop their ventures, strengthen their ideas, and gain support from experienced mentors and judges.
The programme will culminate in a Dragon’s Den-style pitch final in May 2026 at ARU Cambridge, where shortlisted finalists will present their ventures to a judging panel.
The £5,000 investment will be awarded to the individual or team whose venture best demonstrates:
All finalists will continue to receive mentorship and support following the final, helping them further develop their ventures and build on their progress.
Support will be provided through to September 2026, ensuring finalists have ongoing guidance as they take their ideas forward.
The winning individual or team will receive an additional 12 months of targeted mentoring and support after the pitch final, helping them take their venture to the next stage of growth.
The Enterprise Impact Fund reflects ARU’s commitment to encouraging student enterprise that combines innovation with meaningful social impact. By supporting ventures with a clear sense of purpose, the programme aims to help students turn promising ideas into sustainable and impactful businesses.
"Last year, it was a real pleasure working with our partners to support our student and graduate entrepreneurs in developing impactful ventures. Seeing their ideas grow into something meaningful was inspiring.
"At ARU, we are committed to nurturing enterprise that creates both commercial value and social impact. This year, we’ve shortlisted an impressive group of ideas that will pitch for the Enterprise Impact Fund. Alongside funding, finalists will receive dedicated mentoring and support, and I’m excited to see how these ventures develop and the difference they will go on to make."
Prof Gary Packham, Pro Vice Chancellor of Student Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, ARU"Initiatives like the Enterprise Impact Fund are important not only for those receiving the grant, but for everyone involved. They create a valuable space to share ideas, challenge thinking and gain insight that helps strengthen new ventures. Best of luck to everyone pitching."
Martin Wing, Chief Operating Officer, X-Forces Enterprise"Curzon Consulting exists to help businesses solve complex problems in bold, innovative ways that result in enduring commercial, customer, and social value. That’s why we’re thrilled to be sponsoring this year’s Enterprise Impact Fund at ARU.
"We look forward to engaging with each finalist’s business ideas and being inspired by the impacts and benefits they aim to realise, and to providing some impetus to these ventures’ future success."
Douglas Badham, Partner & Financial Services Sector Lead, Curzon ConsultingThe Next Step Growth Fund is designed to support established businesses founded, or led, by University students or graduates.
The fund will award three grants of £5,000 to ventures that are ready to take a significant and measurable next step in their development.
This initiative focuses on businesses that are already trading and generating revenue, and which require targeted investment to unlock further growth, innovation, market expansion or community impact.
The competition will award:
Applicants must meet all the following criteria:
The proposed initiative must represent meaningful progression beyond business-as-usual activity. Examples include (but are not limited to):
Applicants will be required to submit:
Shortlisted finalists will deliver a ten-minute pitch followed by a question-and-answer session before a judging panel.
Proposals will be assessed using the following criteria:
Successful applicants will be required to submit a six-month progress report outlining: