Techstart Ventures Proof of Concept Grant Fund

Techstart Ventures Proof of Concept Grant

Supports small businesses in Northern Ireland with proof-of-concept development for testing commercialization hypotheses.

The Techstart Ventures Proof of Concept Grant Fund is a competitive grant programme operated by Techstart Ventures — a joint venture between Invest Northern Ireland and the British Business Bank — specifically for Northern Ireland SME entrepreneurs. The programme funds the early-stage testing of commercial viability and potential of innovative ideas. Eligible activities include prototype and concept development, customer and partner engagement, market testing, business development work, expert consultation and mentoring, IP uniqueness evaluation, and employment costs tied to clear deliverables. University proof of concept spin-out projects are explicitly excluded from the programme.

The fund operates at two tiers. The Concept Grant awards up to £10,000 for early-stage idea validation, while the Concept Plus Grant awards up to £35,000 for more developed concepts requiring prototype development or IP evaluation. Only for-profit SMEs are eligible to apply; nonprofits, universities, research organisations, and individuals are all ineligible. Applications are submitted on a rolling basis through the techstartgrants.com portal, which is administered independently by Techstart Ventures rather than directly through Invest NI. No fixed application deadlines are published at the Invest NI level.

Given that Techstart Ventures applies its own scoring criteria at the portal level, applicants should review the current eligibility and assessment rules at techstartgrants.com before applying. The programme is best suited to NI-based entrepreneurs with a differentiated idea requiring commercial validation through testing, prototyping, or market engagement. The competitive nature of award decisions means that proposals with clear commercial hypotheses, defined deliverables, and measurable outcomes are most likely to succeed.