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Rising Stars

Rising Stars is a pitch competition for early-stage tech startups in the United Kingdom that are one to three years old and have a digital product or service and at least one active client or pilot. This scheme has closed.

Run by Tech Nation

Checked against the official page (growthhub.northeast-ca.gov.uk) on 5 Oct 2026.

This scheme has closed

It stays here in case it reopens; check with the organisation for future rounds. We do not know where it was open, so these are for the whole North.

Tech Nation's pitch competition for early-stage tech startups incorporated 1-3 years ago with seed to pre-Series A funding, headquartered in the UK.

Status and deadline

Status

Closed

Confirmed on the official page

Deadline

Rising Stars is now closed for applications but you can pre-register your interest for Rising Stars 2025.

Not confirmed on the official page

How much

Not stated

We could not find how much it offers

Who can apply

Early-stage tech startups incorporated between 1 and 3 years ago, headquartered in the UK, with a digital tech product or service, at Seed to pre-Series A funding stage (or bootstrapped with maximum annual revenues below £1.5 million), able to demonstrate market traction with at least one active client or pilot, with ambition to scale, and able to commit to Rising Stars dates.

Confirmed on the official page

Business size

Start-ups

Not confirmed on the official page

Sectors

digital tech

How to apply

Submit a virtual pitch via TikTok (@tech.nation.uk) alongside a questionnaire; more details on how to apply, plus information on applying without a TikTok account, will be released soon.

Not confirmed on the official page

Where it is open: UK-wide

United Kingdom

Checked by a person

HartlepoolMiddlesbroughRedcar and ClevelandStockton-on-TeesDarlingtonHaltonWarringtonBlackburn with DarwenBlackpoolKingston upon Hull, City ofEast Riding of YorkshireNorth East LincolnshireNorth LincolnshireYorkCounty DurhamCheshire EastCheshire West and ChesterNorthumberlandCumberlandWestmorland and FurnessNorth YorkshireBurnleyChorleyFyldeHyndburnLancasterPendlePrestonRibble ValleyRossendaleSouth RibbleWest LancashireWyreBoltonBuryManchesterOldhamRochdaleSalfordStockportTamesideTraffordWiganKnowsleyLiverpoolSt. HelensSeftonWirralDoncasterRotherhamNewcastle upon TyneNorth TynesideSouth TynesideSunderlandBradfordCalderdaleKirkleesLeedsWakefieldGatesheadBarnsleySheffield

Open across United Kingdom, so every council area in the North of England is shaded.

Drawn from the areas the funder names. If a scheme is only for part of a council area, check its own page. Boundaries from the Office for National Statistics.

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Related open schemes

Everything open across the North

Source and last checked

Local Landscape gathers this information automatically from the pages below, then checks the key details against the official page. Checked against the official page (growthhub.northeast-ca.gov.uk) on 5 Oct 2026. Its details last changed on 31 Oct 2026. A person last checked it on 31 Oct 2026, so confirm the details with Tech Nation before you apply.

Run this scheme? Claim Tech Nation's page to keep it right.