University of Southampton SEED Start-Up Funding

We are delighted to have been awarded a generous start-up grant from Southampton University as part of the SEED Start-Up program under the Social Impact category. This award recognises our innovative approach to running affordable cultural exchange programs as a new social enterprise, and will fund a trial program this summer.

The SEED Start-Up Fund

“The SEED Start-Up Funding Competition is a pioneering platform which encourages students to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions through the provision of a risk free funding route.”
Sarah Rogers, Head of Student Enterprise

Supported by Santander, SEED Start-Up grants are awarded to University of Southampton students and alumni to support early-stage businesses and social enterprises.

We would like to express our thanks to the University of Southampton careers service, particularly the Student Enterprise team, for their invaluable support and advice. As well as the SEED Start-Up fund, Abridge Academy has benefitted greatly from activities such as the Catalyst competition and entrepreneurship summer school, helping us finalise ideas and develop useful business skills.

The generous SEED Start-Up grant from Southampton will fund a trial program this summer, with 40 students and young people from the UK and across Europe (including several from Southampton University) volunteering at an English language and leadership summer camp in Beijing. The grant will enable us to visit and support the program, collecting feedback and testimonials in order to further develop the summer camp in future years. We will also spend a proportion on marketing and website development, ensuring we can build on the success of this summer going into the future.