Techstart Ventures Proof of Concept Grants

Techstart Ventures LLP (managed on behalf of Invest NI)

Information last verified: August 2026 · Source: techstartgrants.com

Stage

Idea / pre-product, MVP / early product

Location

Northern Ireland

Equity

No equity taken

Cost

Free (grant funding)

Delivery

Virtual

Any sector

Idea / pre-productMVP / early product

Pre-commercial grant fund for entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland validating novel tech and non-tech ideas. Grants are non-dilutive and non-repayable, awarded through a competitive process, with funding of up to £30k. Current competitions include the Regional Innovation Challenge (up to £15k) and the Concept Plus Grant (up to £30k), plus a Female Founders competition. Open to sole traders, partnerships and limited companies, funding prototype development, market research, customer validation and IP assessment. Managed by Techstart Ventures and funded by Invest Northern Ireland, with a possible pathway to equity investment for the strongest teams.

Why this programme

Raise funding

Non-dilutive grant of up to £40k to de-risk your idea before seeking equity investment, no equity taken

Build product / validate MVP

Explicitly funds prototype development, customer validation and market testing activities

Interested in Techstart Ventures Proof of Concept Grants?

Head to their website for current cohort dates and how to apply.

Visit Techstart Ventures Proof of Concept Grants → ← Back

Something wrong or out of date? Let us know →