Amid ongoing discussions about a slowdown in Britain's startup ecosystem, the winners of the Santander X Awards 2025 offer a compelling counter-narrative. Announced on Friday 9th January 2026, the awards spotlight early-stage founders and SMEs confronting structural societal issues with tangible innovation.
Practical Solutions for Pressing Global Challenges
The awards, part of Santander's global entrepreneurship platform, celebrated businesses across medical devices, women's health, and sustainable farming. A common thread uniting them was a focus on creating viable products within real-world constraints. For Santander, the role extends beyond finance to being a long-term scaling partner, providing training, community access, and exposure. For the winners, the credibility and network offered are as valuable as the prize money itself.
Amparo World: Revolutionising Prosthetic Access
Winning in the SME category, Amparo World addresses a critical gap in global healthcare. While prosthetic technology has advanced, the fitting process remains slow, centralised, and costly. Co-founder Frederico Carpinteiro highlighted the issue: most lower-limb amputees lack access due to a reliance on trial-and-error fittings and specialist urban clinics.
Amparo's solution is a direct-fitted prosthetic socket that can be delivered and fitted in under two hours, anywhere. However, scaling a hardware-based health-tech company presents hurdles. "The hardest part has been funding fast growth," Carpinteiro admitted, citing serious cashflow pressures from building inventory.
Despite this, the company now operates in over 45 countries and recently achieved the milestone of becoming an NHS-approved supplier. Carpinteiro believes Santander X's support will be crucial in raising awareness and expanding their network to reach more people faster.
We Are Boost: Listening to Women's Health Needs
Founded by Samantha Jackman after her mother's difficult experience with a post-mastectomy prosthesis, We Are Boost emerged from a place of deep listening. Jackman's team discovered a consistent theme: women felt ignored by an industry that had seen little meaningful evolution for decades.
"The core problem wasn't just the product," Jackman explained. "It was that women hadn't been properly listened to." Boost's response is a range of lightweight, less intrusive products designed for both physical comfort and psychological well-being, now available across Wales and parts of the UK.
Jackman noted the persistent challenge of securing funding in women's health, often viewed as a niche sector. "Many decision-makers don't have lived experience of these issues, so the scale and urgency are underestimated." Recognition from the Santander X Award, she says, provides vital credibility, proving the business is robust and demand is real.
Muju Earth: Healing the Soil from the Ground Up
The university category winner, Muju Earth, is tackling climate and food security at its root—literally. Founding team member Hu Wangyang criticised much climate tech for merely treating symptoms, whereas soil health is foundational.
Modern farming practices have compacted and weakened soil, leading to poorer yields and vulnerability to extreme weather. Muju Earth's innovation is the 'Aeropod', a biodegradable capsule planted like a seed. It responds to soil conditions, aerates compacted ground, releases nutrients, and breaks down naturally.
"Farmers are dealing with compaction and unpredictable weather every year," Wangyang said. "There aren't many affordable tools that fit into existing farming practices." The Santander X funding will help bridge the gap from prototype to production, funding material swaps, greenhouse tests, and larger field trials. Their long-term ambition is to make soil regeneration practical and accessible globally.
A Vote of Confidence for UK Innovation
Collectively, these Santander X Award winners illustrate a vibrant picture of UK innovation born from universities and real-world insight. These are businesses navigating complex regulations, manufacturing, and market adoption to solve genuine problems.
In a year where scaling has grown more difficult and investment more selective, Santander X's emphasis on long-term partnership and support is significant. For the founders receiving this year's accolades, the awards provide not just funding, but the crucial impetus to persevere and expand their impact.
