And yet, British students – and those on a Graduate Entrepreneur visa – have more ‘Zuckerbergian’ ambitions than ever before, wanting to be CEO of their own company rather than starting at the bottom of someone else’s. In fact, it’s projected that 50,000 students a year start their own business in the UK – 15% before even graduating.

Unfortunately, this ready supply of graduate entrepreneurs is exceeding the readiness of some institutions and investors to support them. Not all universities have figured out how to help entrepreneurial students, and few have access to start up funding.

All is not lost, however! Reflecting the growing wave of graduate entrepreneurs are a number of innovative organisations offering financial support and expert advice. They believe that the big ideas coming out of universities could change the game within enterprise, and want to ensure age and access to funding is not a barrier to entrepreneurial spirit.

If you are in the process of launching your business, here are five of the best places to find start up funding as a graduate entrepreneur:

The Young Entrepreneur Award

This new award, which has been put together by The Formations Company, aims to help and support students who want to start their own business after university, rather than go straight into a traditional job or graduate scheme.

Launched at the start of July, applications are open to current students who have aspirations of starting their own company, and to those who have just graduated. The top five finalists will all have their company formed (not only will their business be registered with Companies House, but also they will have a company bank account set up, logo designed, business cards created and receive expert advice – good, eh?), whilst the overall winner will additionally receive £1,000 in start up funding to spend on developing their idea. And even if you don’t make the top five, you might still be offered a £5 company formation for proving your passion.

In order to apply for the award, all you have to do is fill in a short form outlining who you are and why you want to start your own business (hint: show how you would use the money should you win!). Applications will close at the end of the summer – so you have plenty of time to get creative (there’s another hint…) – and the five finalists will be featured on The Formations Company website and social media channels. In the last stage of the process, a short telephone interview will be conducted with each of the finalists to determine the winner.

There really is nothing to lose here, and everything to gain. So, what are you waiting for?

Catalyst Founders

Catalyst Founders is a new company that invests in innate entrepreneurial talent under the age of 24. They provide access to capital, a support structure, and a network to enable young would-be founders to achieve their entrepreneurial potential. They are looking to support the next generation of makers, creators and retailers, backing people who have a passion for their idea and a drive to build a large company.

Catalyst Founders take a generational view on investment, looking to support young entrepreneurs as they grow to an appropriate scale. They have no requirement to exit within a certain time frame, making them very different to many existing investors. Their intention is to back 50+ young founders over the next three years and, unlike other sources of investment and support, they are in it for the long haul: they look beyond monetary return towards mutually life-changing relationships.

This August, Catalyst Founders are also running their first ‘Summer Pitchfest’ – an opportunity for you to pitch your business to judges and investors and potentially win £500 funding (and a fast track invitation to a CF assessment day). Securing start up funding is not easy – and why should it be? – but joining a network like Catalyst Founders will turbo-charge your route to entrepreneurial success. Good luck!

The Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Enterprise (DBACE)

Established in 1993, the DBACE has helped hundreds of arts graduates negotiate the challenges of enterprise and self-employment. In the last twenty-four years, over 177 businesses have been launched with the support of the programme.

Open to final year undergraduate and postgraduate students, and those who have graduated within one academic year, the DBACE is specifically targeted towards aspiring artists, designers and performers who intend to follow a freelance career, develop a specific project, or establish a business once they’ve graduated. Five winners receive £10,000 in start up funding and five runners up are awarded £1,000. All winners and runners up enjoy year-long business mentoring and enterprise training from Deutsche Bank.

Applications open in January of each year for all five categories: Art & Photography, Craft & Design, Film, Music, and Performance. The judges want to know that funding, mentoring and business training will make ‘the difference’ to your career – so be sure to show them what the support will mean to you and your project. Throughout the process, DBACE also offer business planning workshops, online resources, and one-to-one advice, so even if you don’t end up winning, you’ll still come away with valuable knowledge about how to progress your business.

Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards

The Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Award is an annual business pitching competition for student and graduate entrepreneurs. Since its launch, Santander has given away more than £220,000 in start up funding, as well as invaluable mentoring and business support to promising small enterprises.

The great thing about this scheme is that it involves your university, too. The first stage of the process takes place internally, with Santander’s partner universities (check to see if your institution is eligible here) running their own competitions to find the best business ideas and start ups on campus. Each university submits their winners to Santander, who draw up a longlist of 20 (ten ideas and ten start ups). Business plans are then scrutinised by an external panel made up of academic leaders, successful entrepreneurs and former winners, who identify their top ten. These finalists make a 15-minute pitch to a live panel at Santander HQ, with a winner and runner-up being identified in each category (ideas and start ups). Prizes range from £15,000 to £1,000 funding, plus mentoring, brand consulting and website build/hosting.

The competition opens in February each year (which gives you plenty of time to hustle your university’s enterprise team to get behind you…).

Crowdfund Campus

Many of the most exciting businesses in recent years have been launched thanks to a new trend in enterprise: crowdfunding. No longer do entrepreneurs need to rely on banks and investors – who can be less willing to help young talent than seasoned tycoons – to get a project funded. Instead, they can open their idea out to the public and let them decide what it’s worth.

One of the best things about crowdfunding as a source of start up funding is that, unlike traditional sources of capital (who primarily look for a financial return), investors typically contribute towards a campaign because they believe in the purpose of the project. This means that not only do you get the investment required for your business, but also a real understanding of your audience and what they want from your service or product.

Here at Crowdfund Campus, we are proud to support all student and graduate entrepreneurs who want to validate their ideas and secure some start up funding. For advice on how to make the most of your budding business by taking advantage of our unique platform, please give us a call on +44 (0)7545 898120 or drop us a line at hello@crowdfundcampus.com – we can’t wait to see what you’ll achieve!

However, if you’re from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland and you would like to run your business within the United Kingdom, you’ll need to apply for a Graduate Entrepreneur visa.

AM I ELIGIBLE?

Before you can apply for a visa, you should check that you meet the criteria:

• The idea. You must have a realistic and well-considered idea for a business that has been endorsed by an approved body (i.e. by either UK Trade and Investment as part of the elite global graduate programme [Sirius] or a UK Higher Education Institution).
• The endorsement. As well as proving that you have a credible business idea, you’ll need to meet other key criteria in order to receive the necessary endorsement from UKTI or an HEI. These include, but are not limited to: proof that you can support yourself (by having a certain amount of savings – this could be investment from a crowdfunding campaign – which must be deposited in your bank account at least 90 days before you apply); proof of a suitable degree (UK-recognised bachelor’s degree or higher, depending on which body is endorsing you); and proof that you meet the English language requirement. Criteria can vary from institution to institution, so do check carefully.

You will also need to be from outside of the EEA or Switzerland in order to apply.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

Not as long as you may think, though this can vary depending on which body is endorsing you. If you’re getting your endorsement from an HEI, you will typically be notified of the decision on your entrepreneur visa within eight weeks. If the UKTI are endorsing you, you should be notified of the decision within three weeks.

WHEN CAN I APPLY?

The earliest you can apply is three months prior to travelling to the UK.

HOW MUCH WILL I HAVE TO PAY?

The cost depends on where you are applying from, how you intend to apply, and your own situation (whether you have any dependants, for instance). As of summer 2016, it costs £342 to apply for yourself if you’re applying from outside of the UK (or £287 if you’re a citizen of Turkey or Macedonia). You’ll also need to pay the UK health surcharge as part of your application. We recommend visiting the UK Government website (Gov.uk) for up-to-date information on Graduate Entrepreneur visa fees and surcharges.

HOW LONG CAN I STAY IN THE UK ON AN ENTREPRENEUR VISA?

A Tier 1 visa will allow you to stay in the UK for one year, but you can apply to extend this.

ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT?

The visa is pretty flexible, and allows you to bring dependants and family members with you. You can apply to extend your stay if you need to and even switch to a Graduate Entrepreneur visa from another visa category. You aren’t able to settle in the UK on this visa, though; and you also can’t benefit from public funds or work in particular industries (a doctor or dentist in training or a professional sportsperson, for instance).

Crowdfund Campus is proud to support all budding entrepreneurs. For advice on how to make the most of your business idea by taking advantage of our unique platform, please give us a call on +44(0)7545 898120 or drop us a line at hello@crowdfundcampus.com– we look forward to helping you!

In fact, it is out of setbacks that she has seen opportunity, launching a successful paleo food blog and business whilst still a student. Today, Designed2Eat is a thriving enterprise with 30 stockists around the UK and Europe, and Charleh (now a graduate!) the proof that you really can have your cake – and eat it.

Read on to meet a woman who juggled 6am starts with studying, international athletics with allergies, and part-time PR work with full-time entrepreneurship. Charleh: we salute you!

In the spotlight:

Name: Charleh Dickinson

Age: 21

Location: Sheffield

Degree: Food Marketing Management at Sheffield Hallam

Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming an entrepreneur. Have you always been interested in enterprise?

Ever since I could walk, I’ve been involved with sport. My mother was an international swimmer and always encouraged my brother and I to be as active as possible. This led me to compete in modern pentathlon, swimming and athletics to an international standard throughout high school and college. So, even though my dad has been self-employed for the majority of my life, there was never any pressure to follow. He admits that he taught us a lot about business and business tools as we were growing up, in a covert kind of way, but we were always encouraged to do what we love and to work hard at that.

Where did the idea for Designed2Eat come from?

The idea for Designed2Eat came from my personal struggle with auto-immune conditions. With my sports, I was constantly travelling, and I knew practically every service station in the country! But, as I’m allergic to gluten, wheat and dairy, it meant picking up food on the go was very difficult, especially if I wanted something healthy. My original idea was to open a healthy fast food restaurant but, when I discovered the paleo lifestyle through a friend at work (I was a lifeguard and swimming teacher throughout college), I started blogging. I wanted to show that you could eat healthily, on a budget, and still live a successful and busy lifestyle. My audience grew quite quickly, but it wasn’t until I went to Sheffield Hallam University that Designed2Eat became a business.

How did you progress your business from idea to reality?

The first step was turning Designed2Eat into an affiliate blog. After making hundreds of recipes, I wanted to help people get the ingredients conveniently. I also started working at a healthy fast food restaurant (having stopped my sports in order to focus on D2E) and developed an interest in product development, playing with ingredients for an on-the-go snack that tastes delicious but without any nasties.

How did you identify your audience and market test your products?

In March 2013, I started taking my snacks to little food festivals on the street, and it was from here that the products matured and improved. I had the nutrition and food knowledge to create a healthy cake, but I needed the consumers to tell me what tasted good. I took their feedback and tweaked the recipes to reflect what they wanted.

How did you initially finance Designed2Eat?

D2E has been grown completely organically. The money invested has come from my co-director (aka my father, Peter Dickinson!) and my student loan.

How do you spread word about what you do?

To date, I’ve mainly spread the word through social media and online, but now that I’ve finished university I’m looking to do more speaking and presentation work. I love meeting new people and telling them about D2E in person. For instance, I have just come back from Italy and the lovely gentleman I was sitting next to on the flight had multiple allergies! It felt so great to be able to help him.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Charleh Dickinson?

I’m usually up at 6am and go straight into a 10-mile road cycle before breakfast and coffee. Once I’m at my desk, I attend to daily social media work for a PR and marketing company called Keep Your Fork first, then I crack on with my KUB Ltd (my dad’s company) or D2E work until around 4.30pm. When I shut up shop, I cycle to and from Crossfit (another 12-mile round trip) in order to train and chill out. Back home, I will finish off some last minute jobs before chilling out and bed. I’m currently trying to learn Italian, so I usually finish the day on the DuoLingo app.

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

Wanting to do so much but not having the resources, be that capital, time or people. I have so many creative ideas and sometimes I feel like I have to go a longer way round than necessary to achieve them.

And your proudest moment so far?

Designed2Eat has done some incredible things. For instance, being featured on BBC News twice, supplying high-end events in London, and being shipped across Europe. However, what makes me so proud is when I’m at a food event and I see people’s faces (particularly little children’s) light up when they realise they can not only have our products, but also that they’re really delicious. It makes me so happy that I can give someone such happiness in return.

Who inspires you?

My dad. He’s so hardworking and so passionate about wanting to help others do better at the things they love. He works in quite a systematic and logical way, and is the best person to work with. Everyone he comes into contact with can’t fail to love him too!

Where do you hope to see Designed2Eat in five years’ time?

My goal is to introduce a bigger product range (the flavours we have developed and not yet launched) in pretty, high-quality, eco-friendly packaging, produced in a completely gluten-free factory in the UK and then being stocked in supermarkets.

How has your education contributed to your success?

I draw on my education in everything I do. I have A-levels in economics, sociology and graphics, and a degree in Food Marketing Management, which was split into three parts: business, marketing and, of course, food! Working with social media and food products means I use everything I’ve been taught day in day out. Plus, I’ve learnt a lot of life education in this time too.

What advice do you have for aspiring student entrepreneurs?

Do something you love, something that will get you out of bed even when you feel like death, and then work very hard for it. It’s a long journey so you’ve got to be prepared to run a marathon.

And finally, if you were an animal, what would you be?

A dolphin. They are beautiful, intelligent creatures that love to have fun and work together as a team. I see them as free spirits with so many opportunities to explore the ocean.

Designed2Eat produce a range of delicious cakes that are free from dairy, gluten, wheat, egg, soy, corn and yeast, and only contain naturally occurring sugars. They are designed to support the body, enabling you to feel great whilst eating well, and can be enjoyed by anyone who wants to feel healthier, fitter, or who follows a paleo, vegan, diabetic or coeliac diet.