Explore It
Explore It gives you the opportunity to apply for up to £500 to explore a business idea. This could include buying equipment or producing a prototype to test out a concept, product, or service.
You can start your application on MyCareer.
Go From Zero: Freelance and Business Start-Up
Thinking about starting your own business or freelancing?
Many of our students go on to either work as freelancers or to run their own business after graduating.
We can support you at any stage, whether you’re getting your idea off the ground or accelerating an existing business to the next level.
Developing a business idea or freelancing is also a great way to develop your skills, confidence and industry knowledge as you explore the best career path for you.
Get support from the Careers and Employability team
We offer one-to-one appointments to help you at every level of starting a business or freelancing. You don’t even need an idea: if you’re interested in self-employment, we’ll help you to explore what might be right for you. That’s why we’re called Go From Zero: we support you right from the start.
Funding for your business
Our flagship Explore it! Launch it! Grow it! funding programmes offer up to £5,000 together with coaching and support to help you take your business forward.
Funding is available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students resident in the UK up to two years after graduation.
Starting a business can be lonely, so community is a key focus of all our programmes. You’ll be part of a supportive network of students and graduates through:
- Peer-to-peer networking,
- Group coaching,
- Social events,
- Full-day intensive workshops,
- An end-of-year showcase for funding awardees.
Current students and graduates can find out more about the Explore It! Launch It! Grow It! funding programme on MyCareer.
Meet the 2026 awardees
William Turner-Duffin
William is the founder of Orgeldream, a hardware and software music technology company specialising in electronic instruments that merge aleatoric processes, generative composition, and tactile interfaces.
Edie Evans
Edie is an independent ceramic artist creating handmade functional and sculptural pieces using locally gathered wild clays and self-developed natural glazes.
Harvey Aylmer
Harvey is the founder of Aylmers Circus, creating narrative-driven family productions that blend circus artistry with musical-theatre-style storytelling.
Adam Crawford
Bristol Fire combines music production, performance, and creative mentoring rooted in UK sound system culture.
Flo Breeze
Flo creates detailed, large-scale charcoal portraits of people and animals, complemented by an expressive Jazz series, including bespoke commissions, original pieces and prints.
Grace Duncan
Grace is an independent visual artist building a sustainable fine art practice, selling original canvas paintings directly to collectors, and expanding into limited-edition prints and original works on paper.
Hugh Chamberlain
Hugh is an independent sound engineer offering personalised recording and mixing services to artists and bands.
J Alexander
The Goblin Tinkerer is a handmade jewellery brand built around the narrative of Glenburn the Goblin, featuring unique silver clay plant medallions made from real foraged specimens and polymer clay mushroom pendants.
Gear Magazine: Joni, Daisy and Jazz
GEAR is a grassroots music and arts magazine championing the Bath/Bristol scene, and also hosts live music events.
Kate Crilly
Kate is a sustainable designer and artist working across embroidery, painting, and print using regenerative and recycled materials, and is developing sustainability-focused textile workshops for schools and colleges.
Nate Dauz
Nate is a videographer and creative collaborator specialising in bespoke, story-driven content for musicians, brands, and event organisers.
Ridi Xhaferaj
Finder is a digital platform that makes independent retail visible, focused on comic book stores and offering a searchable directory of local shops with practical information such as stock, opening times, and accessibility.
Canned Culture: Samuel and Olly
Canned Culture is a sustainable clothing brand creating affordable graphic apparel made from recycled cotton, packaged entirely in reusable tin cans, with seeds included so customers can repurpose the packaging.
Sanika Divekar
Ceramic artist Sanika crafts functional ware that blends Indian cultural influences with modern minimal forms, producing cups, mugs, bowls, platters, teapots, vases, and large-scale sculptural ceramic works.
Sian Titchener
Flōwan Studio is a creative textile practice specialising in handmade tufted rugs and wall hangings, ranging from small bespoke accent rugs to larger statement pieces.
Geza Csosz
Geza is a multidisciplinary creator offering visual media production and full-stack digital solutions, including photography, videography, editing, graphic design, and bespoke web development.
Lily Paylor-Sykes
Mini Harps for Tiny Fingers provides affordable group harp lessons for young learners using small lever harps.
Lola Bennett
Lola is a ceramicist producing functional, decorative ware with a focus on small trays and mugs.
Merlin Goldman
Merlin Audio is a modular, multi-speaker audio platform built from Raspberry Pi-based sound nodes that can receive commands wirelessly and be positioned anywhere in a space, creating a scalable system for spatial sound.
Khushi Karia
Topiwala Hats are handmade crocheted hats made of wool in fun, customisable styles, perfect for a chilly British winter.
Aykut Kala
BeautyTech is an AI-powered platform that helps beauty salons manage bookings and enquiries across WhatsApp, Instagram, and web booking pages.
Hanna Derevianko
Hanna is developing a small-scale wellbeing practice focused on Pulsing Rhythmic Bodywork — a gentle, rhythmic approach that helps calm the nervous system and ease tension.
Lily Robinson
Lily is exploring selling original artworks and limited-edition prints of her paintings, which depict pixelated, softly rendered forms that sit between figuration and abstraction.
Ethan Hunt
Ethan is building a student-only ride-sharing app designed to strengthen community while cutting campus congestion and carbon emissions.
Callum Hill and Lily Maddocks
Callum and Lily are publishing Avebury Through Chalk, a high-end art publication celebrating the standing stones of Avebury.
Deyan Yontov
Deyan is exploring a Grazing Box business, supplying pubs that don't offer food with high-quality salamis, cheeses, and snacks.
Marilelle Ngoma
Marilelle is setting up Etoile Childcare, a childminding business.
Grace Pyatt
Grace is the founder of FilthyGorgeous, an alternative art brand creating sustainable, DIY screen-printed fashion and art that challenges social and political inequalities.
Previous Explore It Recipients
Edwina is a freelance scriptwriter, specialising in original scripts and story ideas for historical and period dramas across film, TV, theatre, and radio. She used funding to test and develop her freelance writing career.
Flo explored creating a business selling large-scale charcoal portraits, including pets, people, and family pictures.
Francesca used funding to explore a portfolio career as an author and screenwriters, as well as offering services such as sensitivity reading and marketing consultancy.
Sophie used Explore It funding to develop Éternelle Marketing Agency - a purpose-led marketing consultancy specialising in authentic, sustainable, and research-driven brand storytelling. Sophie invested in essential resources such as Canva Pro, Meta advertising credits, and business materials, enabling her to begin building a strong client portfolio.
Beyond financial support, the guidance and mentoring Sophie received helped build confidence and clarity, ultimately leading to a successful business launch.
Previous Launch It Recipients
Gemma is a writer, illustrator, and designer inspired by fungi, fantasy, and folklore. She used Launch It funding to develop the range of workshops that she offers.
Aylmers Circus combines circus acts with compelling storytelling and musical theatre to create high-quality, family friendly shows. They celebrate the magic of childhood and the power of imagination, creating joyful escapes from the everyday.
Launch it funding helped support marketing, merchandise, and health and safety.
Katie Baird is a mixed media print designer working primarily with oil pastel and paint, depicting intricate animal and organic inspired studies; she also works with clay to create ceramic ornaments and miniature cat sculptures.
Katie used Launch It funding to purchase a tabletop kiln and pursue additional training.
Lizzie runs Jewellery by Elizabeth, an artisan jewellery brand, specialising in hammered sculptural pieces.
Lizzie used Launch It funding to enhance marketing and sales.
Emily is a maker and creative facilitator working with clay and people. Launch It funding allowed her to develop her business creating small batch ceramics and bespoke urns from reclaimed materials.
Previous Grow It Recipients
Front Room is an award-winning fringe theatre in Weston-super-Mare. Grow It funding helped further develop its programme of adult and family theatre productions, alongside an emphasis on providing a platform for local artists and theatre companies to share their work in their hometown. It has become a launchpad for exciting new work and a creative hub, serving its community in a variety of ways.
The Outdoor Cooking Club is a Community Interest Company providing fun, hands on, vegetarian cooking lessons for children. It aims to create a lifelong appreciation for food, boost confidence and promote healthy eating habits. With a "pay what you can" model, every young person can take part, regardless of background.
Joshua used Grow it funding to help with the purchase of a dedicate branded vehicle, expanding the reach of The Outdoor Cooking Club.
PACP Therapy is a psychotherapy and counselling practice supporting clients across the UK, with a particular focus on the Polish community.
Grow It funding played an essential role in professionalising and expanding the service - allowing Rafal to enhance online delivery, develop a clearer structure for the practice, and invest in tools that improved access to mental health support for Polish-speaking individuals.
Stanners is a golf apparel business, focussed on sustainability and performance. Founded by three BSU graduates, Stanners' clothing is manufactured using innovative fabrics that lower energy use and emissions without compromising performance quality.
Stanners Golf secured all three rounds of funding, culminating in using Grow It to expand its product portfolio, register the company as a limited liability corporation, and grow its social media following significantly.
Juno House Freelancers
Interested in freelancing? Then you'll want to join Juno House - a creative consultancy that bridges the gap between university and the freelance world. Juno House will help you step into your next chapter with confidence, clients, and cash in your pocket.
At Juno House, students and recent graduates are paid to work on briefs sourced from local businesses, charities, and organisations. Briefs could include:
- Branding and design,
- Academic and research projects,
- Community and sustainability initiatives,
- Strategy and storytelling
...and that’s just the start! If BSU teaches it, Juno House can deliver it.
You wouldn’t be doing it alone: every brief is backed by an experienced industry mentor to guide the process and make sure that work hits professional standards.
Current students and recent graduates can find out more about Juno House on MyCareer.
