2025 Greenshoots Seed Finance Award
Henley Business School Celebrates Six Dynamic Ventures at 2025 Greenshoots Seed Finance Award
Henley Business School proudly hosted the 2025 Greenshoots Seed Finance Award Scheme Presentation of Awards at its Whiteknights Campus, honouring the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of six outstanding student-led businesses.
Supported by Santander UK Universities, the Greenshoots Award Scheme forms part of the bank’s wider global commitment to education, employability, and entrepreneurship. This year, the programme saw a record number of high-quality applications, demonstrating the strength and creativity of the next generation of business leaders.
Each of the six winning start-ups received £2,500 in seed funding to support the development of their early-stage ventures. These funds can be used to cover vital operational costs including prototyping, testing, inventory, branding, legal support, and digital infrastructure.
New this year, the panel also introduced a Best Idea Award, recognising three ventures that particularly stood out for their innovation, clarity of purpose, and potential for impact.
The Best Idea Awards went to:
🔹 Efficura – Zach Croft-Sharland
1st Place Best Idea Award of £1,000
🔹 Hogs on Film – Lea Grayston-Smith
2nd Place Best Idea Award of £750
🔹 AI Edge Solutions – Sam Hirsch & William May
3rd Place Best Idea Award of £500
Certificates were presented by Christine Shipton, Education and Social Impact Relationship Director Retail and Business Banking at Santander who congratulated the students and highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship in driving sustainable and inclusive growth.
Celebrating Student Impact
Several awardees shared how Greenshoots has helped shape their ventures:
“Greenshoots 2025 was a game-changer for us. It gave us the guidance, confidence, and exposure we needed to refine our vision.” – Vlad Melnyk, Re+Spore
“Greenshoots opens up new horizons and gives a powerful push toward the future. It's the motivation to keep going and to move forward with confidence.” – Yaroslav Tsyhanenko, Re+Spore
“Winning this award isn’t just validation - it’s fuel for our mission to make workplaces truly work for every brain.” – Ryan Hoare, ReflectiveMindApp (TryMosaic)
“As a science student, I hadn’t really thought of my project as a business until Greenshoots. This experience has opened the first of many doors.” – Lea Grayston-Smith, Hogs on Film
“The support and funding will help us rigorously test our product-market fit.” – Will May, AI Edge Solutions
“An invaluable experience that expanded my network and grew my business.” – Lewis Thackeray, Vorium
Greenshoots is kindly sponsored by Santander Universities, a global strategic initiative that aims to support education, employability, and entrepreneurship across partner universities.
