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Venture Further Awards (VFA)

Grand Finale and awards ceremony, Whitworth Hall

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Objective

Venture Further Awards is the University of Manchester's flagship start-up competition, designed to help student and graduate founders access equity-free funding, mentorship and resources to test, build and scale their ventures.

Description

Overview
The Venture Further Awards (VFA), run by the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) at the University of Manchester, is described on the official site as the UK's premier university startup competition, offering equity-free prizes plus software and tech perks to help founders build and scale.

Eligibility
- Current University of Manchester students (Undergraduate, Master's, PhD)
- Postdoctoral Researchers
- Alumni who graduated within the last two years
- For team entries, at least 50% of founders must meet the above criteria
- Ventures must not have been trading for more than two years

Format
Applicants apply to one of four specialised tracks: Freelancer, Social Impact, Research-Led Disruption, and Startup. Selected finalists pitch live at a Grand Finale to a panel of expert judges, investors and industry leaders, followed by an evening awards ceremony.

Notable details
- 2026 edition (23rd year) drew around 200 applications, with 29 finalists competing for 11 awards
- Hosted at Whitworth Hall, University of Manchester
- Winners gain access to MEC's co-working space, mentoring and software/tech perks

Eligible Schools

Alliance Manchester Business School

Date

Grand Finale and awards ceremony, Whitworth Hall

Deadline

May 04, 2026

Participation

Private