What If You Could Watch Founders Prove Themselves Before You Invest?

Traditional angel investing asks you to bet on a 10-minute pitch.

The £100,000 Startup Race gives you 52 weeks of revenue data under competitive pressure- before you commit a penny.

We're assembling a syndicate of investors to fund the winner. Two ways to participate.

Already invest in early-stage startups? This changes how you evaluate them.

Why 91% of Angel Investments Underperform

You already know the statistics. Only 9% of UK angel investments deliver a 10x return.

Only 10% of VC investments return 3x.

The standard advice? Better due diligence. Evaluate the team more effectively. Stress-test financial projections.

The problem isn't your diligence. The problem is the data.

A 10-minute pitch tells you what founders say they'll do.

12 months of revenue data under competitive pressure shows you what they actually do.

Pitch-Based Investing

10 minutes of presentation

Founders describe their potential

You evaluate projections

Decision based on story

High uncertainty

Startup Race Investing

52 weeks of performance

Founders demonstrate their capability

You observe actual revenue

Decision based on behaviour

Evidence-based selection

The best predictor of future performance is past behaviour under pressure.

That's what the Startup Race delivers.

52 Weeks. Weekly League Tables. One Winner.

The Format:

Startup founders enter with £5,000+ Annual Recurring Revenue—proof they can already generate income.

Every week for 12 months, they're ranked by revenue performance. The top 10 sit in the Premier League. Fall out? Fight your way back in.

At the end of 52 weeks, the founder who generated the most revenue wins £100,000 in investment from our Prize Provider syndicate.

What You See (That Pitch Investors Never Do)

Consistency: Can they generate revenue week after week, or was it a one-time spike?

Response to pressure: How do they perform when competitors are gaining?

Growth trajectory: Are they accelerating, plateauing, or declining?

Resilience: How do they handle setbacks over 12 months?

Execution speed: Do they act on opportunities quickly?

This is due diligence that would take you months and thousands of pounds to replicate - built into the competition structure

Choose Your Role in the £100,000 Startup Race

Option 1: Investment Prize Provider

Contribute £5,000–£10,000 to the £100,000 prize pool.

You join a syndicate of investors funding the winner. Your contribution combines with others to create the £100,000 investment prize.

What you get:

  • SEIS tax relief on your investment (50% income tax relief, CGT exemption)

  • Pro-rata equity in the winning startup alongside fellow Prize Providers

  • 52 weeks of due diligence built into the selection process

  • Access to the Premier League dashboard throughout the race

  • First opportunity to invest additional capital in runners-up

The commitment:

Sign a Letter of Intent confirming your contribution.

The investment is made at the end of the Race (March 2027) into the winning startup.

We're recruiting 10–15 Prize Providers to ensure the full £100,000 is available even if circumstances change for some investors.

Option 2: Race Observer

Watch the full race. Invest in any startup that interests you.

You get access to the weekly league tables, revenue data, and founder performance—without committing to the prize pool.

What you get:

  • Full visibility of all competing startups

  • 52 weeks of performance data on every participant

  • Freedom to approach any founder for investment discussions

  • No commitment until you find a startup you want to back

The commitment:

Register as an Observer. No financial commitment required. Invest when and if you find the right opportunity.

Race Observers have first access to runners-up who may be raising additional capital after the race concludes.

As You Probably Know, Your Investment Works Harder With SEIS

The winning startup will be SEIS-eligible, meaning your investment qualifies for significant tax advantages:

Tax Benefit

50% Income Tax Relief

CGT Exemption

Loss Relief

CGT Deferral

IHT Exemption

What It Means

Invest £10,000 → Reduce your tax bill by £5,000

Pay zero capital gains tax on profits from the investment

If the investment fails, offset losses against income tax

Reinvest capital gains from other assets, defer the tax

After 2 years, investment is exempt from inheritance ta

Effective risk after tax relief: If you invest £10,000 and claim 50% income tax relief, your effective exposure is £5,000. If the startup achieves even modest growth, you're ahead.

Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change. Seek professional advice.

What Happens When Founders Compete on Revenue

The £10,000 Startup Race (2022)

558 applicants. 17 accepted. 6 months of competition.

Winner: Priyanshu Nath - House of Tula

  • 44X revenue growth in 6 months

  • Secured the £10,000 prize

  • Now scaling with investor demand

Runner-up: Mariely Macias Olmedo

  • 17X revenue growth

  • Investment conversations with observers who watched her perform

The £1,000 Startup Race (2020)

30 applicants. 10 accepted. 10 weeks of competition.

Winner: Jonas Virsilas

  • 12X revenue growth

Runner-up: Mike Davis

  • 11X revenue growth

The pattern: Competition + accountability + time pressure = exceptional performance from the right founders.

Your opportunity: Watch this pattern unfold over 52 weeks with the highest stakes yet.

The £100,000 Startup Race Is For Investors Who:

  • Are frustrated by pitch-based investing and want a better signal

  • Believe behaviour predicts performance better than presentations

  • Want to observe founders under real competitive pressureValue 12 months of revenue data over 12 slides of projections

  • Are comfortable with early-stage investment risk in exchange for SEIS benefits

  • Want to be part of a syndicate making evidence-based investment decisions

This Is Not For Investors Who:

  • Want passive, hands-off fund investing

  • Expect guaranteed returns

  • Need liquidity within 2–3 years

  • Are uncomfortable with startup-stage risk, even with tax relief

Early-stage investing carries significant risk, including loss of capital. SEIS tax relief mitigates but doesn't eliminate this risk.

We Practice What We Preach

Our Commitment:

We don't just organise the Startup Race - we invest ourselves.

7 companies funded with our own capital. Not based on pitch decks. Based on watching founders generate revenue.

We only win when the founders we back win.

Our Methodology:

As well as being serial entrepreneurs and investors, James Shoemark and Michael Clouser are Level 3 Certified Leanstack Coaches, trained by Ash Maurya (creator of the Lean Canvas, author of Running Lean).

This is the methodology that enabled Priyanshu's 44X growth.

10,000+ hours coaching real founders. 400+ events run. 1,000+ entrepreneurs trained since 2014.

Our Results:

  • 558 applicants to the £10,000 Startup Race

  • 76 startups graduated from our accelerator

  • 44X growth achieved by our most recent winner

  • 7 companies we invested our own money in

We're not pitch competition judges. We're investors who use competition to identify founders worth backing.

£100,000 Startup Race: Key Dates*

The winning startup will be SEIS-eligible, meaning your investment qualifies for significant tax advantages:

Milestone

Prize Provider recruitment

Letters of Intent confirmed

Race begins

Weekly league tables

Race concludes

Investment into winner

Date

Now – Q2 2026

By April 2026

April 2026

Throughout 2026–2027

March 2027

April 2027

Why Letters of Intent now?

We're securing commitments to ensure the full £100,000 is available to the winner. Letters of Intent are not legally binding deposits—they confirm your intention to participate when the Race concludes.

This protects both you and the winning founder: they compete knowing the prize is real; you invest knowing you've watched them perform.

Join the £100,000 Startup Race Syndicate

Investment Prize Providers (£5,000–£10,000)

Sign a Letter of Intent. Watch 52 weeks of competition. Invest in the proven winner.

Race Observers (No financial commitment)

Get full access to performance data. Invest in any startup that interests you.

Questions before committing?

We'll walk you through the process, answer questions about SEIS eligibility, and explain how the Prize Provider syndicate works.

To participate as an Investment Prize Provider or Race Observer, you must self-certify as a High-Net-Worth Individual or Sophisticated Investor under FCA regulations.

This ensures you understand the risks of early-stage investing and are eligible to receive communications about investment opportunities.

Self-certification is part of the registration process.

FCA Requirements

© Copyright The Startup Race 2026