Hamburger menu icon
Home > Alumni > Alumni Networks > Trinity Hall Entrepreneurs Network (THEN) > Funds

Funds

Financial support can be crucial to entrepreneurs and start-ups, especially in the early stages. We have the following funds available to support those in our community who are starting out and pursuing new ideas.

For established social entrepreneurs we partner with the Judge Business School to offer the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize.

How can these funds help?

Here are suggestions for some of the ways you can become involved in entrepreneurship. The funds may provide grants to help you:

  • Take part in pitching competitions with a developed or undeveloped idea
  • Take part in a hackathon
  • Undertake an internship with a Start-up or Spin-out firm
  • See a list on the Careers Service website
  • Undertake market research/market entry research for an idea
  • Access a makerspace
  • Access relevant training
  • Make prototypes of an idea or invention by purchasing materials
  • Set-up a ‘pop-up’ business selling goods or services for a limited period

This list is not exhaustive – please find some helpful links below. To share ideas and look for a mentor try the Entrepreneurs Network group on LinkHall.

Please do contact us with other ideas that you think might be eligible.

See our Case Studies page for more information on previous winners. See our Reports page to find out more about Experiencing Entrepreneurship award winners and how this has impacted them.

Lee-Yung Family Fund for Entrepreneurship

Are you looking for additional funding to help translate your ideas into useful products and services? This could be through improving skills, purchasing materials or accessing a makerspace.

Amount

Each year until 2027, £1,000 will be distributed across up to five teams or individuals. At the end of the year an additional £1,000 will be awarded to the team/individual whose concept or product shows the most promise.

Eligibility

Applications are open to all those with a Trinity Hall connection, including undergraduates, postgraduates or post-docs affiliated with Trinity Hall, a Trinity Hall alumnus/a within five years of graduation, or a student supervised by or working with a Trinity Hall Fellow. Teams must contain at least one member who fulfils the eligibility criteria.

How to apply

Applications are currently open for this award, and they are assessed by a panel of Fellows. Applications are now closed. For more information contact THEN@trinhall.cam.ac.uk.

Grants have enabled previous winners to:

  • Employ an intern to develop their social media strategy
  • Support travel to undertake market research to provide the background to develop the idea
  • Develop a viable product by producing samples which could be offered to retailers
  • Develop a website and build software to provide a digital prototype
  • Seek legal expertise for building a business
  • Take part in CU Eco Racing

Watch videos from past winners talking about how being a recipient of the Lee-Yung Family Fund for Entrepreneurship has helped their companies.

With thanks to Aaron Lee (1993) for his support.

Apply for the Lee-Yung Family Fund for Entrepreneurship

Experiencing Entrepreneurship Award

The award is designed to give current students and postdocs the opportunity to experience entrepreneurship by assisting those who are undertaking (i) internships with start-ups, and/or (ii) travel related to enterprise, and/or (iii) relevant training.

Students undertaking unpaid work in a start-up may wish to apply for a grant to help with accommodation/travel costs; or students taking part in entrepreneurship activities such as a hackathon may need help with travel costs. It is also possible to apply for a grant to help with course fees for a programme such as EnterpriseTECH and Entrepreneurship Lab in order to gain more entrepreneurship skills. Please note applications for grants for working in your own start-up are not eligible.

Amount

Maximum awards of £1,500 towards living costs and £1,000 towards travel are possible.

The award has been made possible by a donation from Graham Ross Russell (1953).

Eligibility

To make an application you must be a current undergraduate, postgraduate or post-doc affiliated with Trinity Hall.

How to apply

Applications are open all-year-round for this award, and they are assessed by a panel of Fellows. For more information contact THEN@trinhall.cam.ac.uk.

Grants have enabled previous winners to:

  • Travel to China to take part in a non-profit start up involved in innovative education
  • Spend 2 months in Germany working for a start up which develops and applies logic based methodologies for problem analysis
  • Travel to take part in the Cambridge Development Initiative in Tanzania

With thanks to Graham Ross Russell (1953) for his support.

Apply for the Experiencing Entrepreneurship Award
Documents
Useful links
Helpful links