OU’s Open Business Creators Fund awards £30,000 to small businesses

Posted on 29 July 2025 • University news

The Open University (OU) has granted a total of £30,000 to 20 student-led businesses through its Open Business Creators Fund. 

The fund, which is co-funded by Santander Universities and the Higher Education Innovation Fund, provides crucial financial support to small and aspiring businesses owned by OU students and alumni.

350 budding entrepreneurs signed up to the fund this year, with 130 submitting their entry to be considered for a grant. After presenting their business models to a panel of judges online, 20 outstanding proposals were chosen for grant awards, receiving £1,500 each. They will also be encouraged to apply for the Santander X UK Awards and signposted to other support ecosystems.

Among the winners this year are:

Access-Air- Ability

Access-air-bility™ is the aviation industry’s first passenger-powered accessibility-intelligence platform. It was founded by James Boyce, an airline pilot who studied for an MBA with the OU.

On winning a grant for his business, James said:

“I was delighted to win the Open Business Creators Fund this year and since winning, things have moved at pace. 

“Access-air-bility was recently named Accessible Air Travel Innovator of the Year at the 2025 Greater London Enterprise Awards, which has given us further momentum. We’re using the Open University grant to upgrade the systems behind our data platform, enabling us to scale up survey collection, streamline analysis, and bring in even more insights from people with disabilities around the world.

“It’s also opened up a few more doors. I attended a workshop at KPMG recently to share insights on a new accessible air travel app that another company is building. I firmly believe that the invitation to participate in this workshop was thanks to the extra legitimacy that OU Creator Fund has given us.

“By the end of this year, our goal is to hold the world’s largest dataset on accessible air travel. The support from the Open Business Creators Fund has helped turn that vision into something operational, not just aspirational – we’re well on our way to achieving that now!”

Sew, What’s the Craic?

Charlotte Murphy is the entrepreneur behind sustainable furniture brand Sew, What’s the Craic? Which gives old furniture and fabric a second life with eco-friendly, custom reupholstery and upcycled accessories.

Charlotte, said:

“When I saw the email about the Creators Fund, I was immediately excited and daydreamed about winning. After recently buying a sewing machine and contemplating the idea of starting my own business, I was thrilled to learn about the fund.

“Winning this support has been incredibly validating and provides me with the resources needed for further equipment and training. This experience has inspired me to pursue my passion and think about future business growth, and I am hugely thankful for that.”

Etive Mor

Etive Mor is a digital platform that builds software tools to make international trade more accessible and sustainable for SME businesses and it was developed by Liam Laverty from Scotland.

Liam, said:

“We applied for the fund because it was a great way to get all of our thoughts and business objectives down into one place to a deadline – we hadn’t expected to be awarded the grant.

“To win the grant is a great privilege, and we’re incredibly thankful. The money is an important factor, but the credibility the fund brings is also huge for us, as we’re in the process of a fundraising. 

“We’re building a platform to help small and medium-sized enterprises comply with international sustainability regulations, so that they can access cheaper export finance. We’ve decided to put the funds towards building a piece of software that checks the carbon intensity of different modes of transport. We can already do this for ships, and we’re excited to expand this feature out to road, rail, and flight.

“Once it’s finished, we’ll be able to help exporters understand if there are more sustainable transportation options for their goods – no matter which mode of transport they pick.”

Willow Wellbeing Wales 

Willow Wellbeing Wales brings accessible, positive mental health practices and a range of therapy options to rural Pembrokeshire.

Founder Julie Johnson, said:

“Applying for ‘The Open Business Creators Fund’ helped me to focus on how I would run my business, what the income streams would be and who my important collaborators were. 

“It taught me useful skills in planning out and pitching my business that will be really valuable for future ventures and funding applications. 

“Finding out that I’d won was a huge surprise and a welcome confidence boost as I take my first tentative steps into running the business. 

“I’ve used some of the money for my new website, signing up to The Counselling Directory and getting all my legal compliances and insurances in order and I have just successfully run my first wellbeing event – pottery and painting, which was a lot of fun and will now be a regular event, along with spoon carving, tarot tuition and traditional crafts, all alongside a mixture of integrated 1:1 talking therapies including eco-therapy and ovine therapy. 

“I’m so excited to be starting my new venture and having support from the team behind the fund is making those first steps that little bit easier.”

The Open Business Creators Fund has supported 1600 businesses with business modelling software and learning resources since it launched in 2023 and awarded £140,000 to 70 of them.

Rob Wilson, lead for Open Business Creators, said: “Every year I am impressed with the diversity of ideas that are presented through the Open Business Creators Fund. Most OU students are studying with us to make a change in their life, but they often want to make a change in the world or their local community too and being able to help enable them through business support and grant funding is truly rewarding.”

To find out more about Open Creators Business, visit:  Are you a new or aspiring entrepreneur looking for support? | Open University