NatWest competition final Oxford: £100,000 up for grabs

The funding is being offered through the NatWest Accelerator Pitch competition, which is open to founders across the UK.

Each live final will award a share of the £100,000 prize fund.

Darren Pirie, head of NatWest Accelerator, said: “Access to funding remains a major hurdle for many entrepreneurs, and the NatWest Accelerator Pitch competition gives founders a dynamic platform to build confidence and compete for the support they need to grow.”

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Five finalists will be selected to deliver pitches at each live event.

The Oxford final will take place on June 18, with further events planned for Cardiff on September 10 and London in November.

To apply, founders must be a member of the free NatWest Accelerator community, which can be joined via the NatWest Accelerator app.

Applicants are required to submit a 60‑second video pitch outlining their business and growth plans by 5pm on May 5.

At the live events, each founder will deliver a three‑minute pitch, followed by up to seven minutes of questions from the judges.

The top three businesses will receive £70,000, £20,000, and £10,000 respectively.

Since its launch in 2025, the competition has held three events and awarded nearly £300,000 in funding.

Dora Handrea, head of EnSpire, an entrepreneurship hub at the University of Oxford, said: “It’s great for the region that Nat West is bringing its Accelerator Pitch competition to Oxford.”

Previous finalists include POTINA, an early-life nutrition brand that focuses on children’s health using fermentation and nutritional science.

Adam Womersley, founder of POTINA said: “The preparation, the funding and the connections that followed helped us move faster and make decisions with far more confidence.”

The company won £10,000 in funding, and its produce has made its way to Tesco food aisles.

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Orli, a health platform designed to support children, parents, and schools in understanding emotions and building communication skills, took first place with £70,000 in funding.

Dr Mark Cox, CEO and founder of Orli, said: “The funding meant we could get Orli into real classrooms and start learning from real children.”

The AI recommendation system suggests support resources to parents and has become a key platform to navigate long waiting times for services like CAMHS.

The NatWest Accelerator community supports entrepreneurs through a network of physical hubs.

This includes locations in London, Milton Keynes, and Warwick.

The competition aims to give founders funding and exposure to strategic support that can accelerate business growth.

By highlighting the potential of tech‑focused ventures, NatWest aims to contribute to the broader innovation ecosystem.