SH&P Pitch & Protect: The £10k IP Fund for Start-Ups and Innovators

After an incredible response to the SH&P Pitch & Protect 2025 initiative, a winner is announced!

We received 129 applications and reviewed 15 fantastic online pitches. The level of innovation, drive and passion from the early-stage and start-up community has been truly inspiring.

A huge thank you to everyone who applied and special thanks to our 15 finalists, who made our decision extremely difficult because the quality of the pitches was very high.

But there can only be one winner and our big congratulations go to Adarsh Bhardwaj of Regeno Ltd, a Strathclyde start-up and the recipient of £10K worth of funding from SH&P which will be used to secure patent protection for Regeno.

Regeno is in the process of developing the world’s first flat-pack and modular wind turbine, leveraging autonomous assembly and self-repair technology to drive down costs and improve sustainability.

We are very excited to be working with Adarsh and to support his journey. He knows only too well the importance of legally protecting his invention and this will now be made much easier with SH&P funding in place.

Adarsh shared his thoughts on the Pitch & Protect experience:

“I am very thankful to SH&P for selecting me for this prestigious award. The pitching experience was seamless and really enjoyed chatting with the team. I felt like I was pitching to my family members, they listened attentively and were very enthusiastic about our tech.

I can’t wait for the next steps of our journey with the incredible SH&P team, as we head towards international patenting. The award will accelerate our roadmap towards commercialisation. We need more initiatives like this so kudos to SH&P for thinking outside the box and launching this competition.”

We launched this initiative in early 2025 to offer something different and to give a chance for early-stage innovators to secure IP funding. We recognise that innovating, developing and then legally protecting can be a long and bumpy road and can also be expensive. This will make all the difference to Regeno Ltd.

Stay tuned for the next SH&P Pitch & Protect announcement very soon!

In the meantime, thanks again to all the participants and also to everyone in the innovative community who supported, shared and recommended our initiative.

What is Pitch & Protect?

The SH&P Pitch & Protect initiative is an exclusive opportunity to secure £10,000 in funding for intellectual property support.

Are you an ambitious start-up or early-stage business with an innovative idea?

No matter whether you are developing ground-breaking technology, a revolutionary product or a distinctive brand identity, all businesses should know that long term success is governed by how secure your intellectual property (IP) rights are.

We understand the challenges early-stage businesses face in protecting their innovations and that’s why we launched Pitch & Protect: The £10K IP Fund.

It is a unique opportunity for one visionary individual, a start-up, or early-stage business to secure a comprehensive IP package with SH&P worth £10,000.

How it works

Participating in Pitch & Protect is simple:

• Submit a confidential online application detailing your business and innovation.
• SH&P will review and shortlist the 15 most promising applicants.
• Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a confidential remote pitch session with our expert panel.
• The most innovative and commercially promising business will win £10,000 in IP funding to be used as SH&P legal services and fees.

Why this all matters

The legal protection of intellectual property assets is fundamental for protecting innovation, attracting investors and securing a competitive edge.

Yet, the costs involved can often be a major hurdle for early-stage businesses that do not have funding and must instead consider leveraging assets to raise funds.

Pitch & Protect provides a real solution to this challenge, covering critical IP expenses and giving one outstanding applicant the opportunity to succeed with essential support from our very experienced Chartered Patent Attorneys.

SH&P commitment to innovation

We understand the importance of supporting the next generation of innovators.

Our conversations with universities, incubators, accelerators and industry experts have made it clear: cost can be a major barrier to obtaining IP protection for start-ups and early-stage companies.

The comments in feedback we received reinforces why this initiative is so important:

“I think the idea is great. The costs associated with IP are a significant barrier for both growing and established companies, often delaying or even preventing expansion and, to some extent, stalling innovation altogether.”

“Pitch & Protect: The £10k IP Fund is a fantastic opportunity for those innovators who may not be able to pursue protecting their IP due to a lack of funding.”

“I love the concept of the competition. This will go down well with the early-stage innovation community – it’s got a nice balance between offering much-needed support in this area whilst dangling the carrot of funds to actually move the process along. Really like it.”

We want to change the landscape of intellectual property for the next generation of innovators.

Pitch & Protect: The £10k IP Fund is designed to provide a unique platform where applicants are given an opportunity to secure funding that will make a real difference.

For the winner, it can be a game changer.

We want to be the go-to IP firm for start-ups and early-stage enterprises and this competition is a bold step in that direction.

It represents a unique opportunity for one deserving applicant to secure essential IP protection.

Join us in driving innovation forward

We will be making another announcement soon.

Don’t miss out next time around; register your interest below and we will let you know as soon as the next funding initiative is launched, giving you plenty of time to make your Pitch & Protect application.