GrantUp Recensioni 

We engaged GrantUp to support us through the full bid-writing process for a recent Innovate UK funding application, and the experience was excellent from start to finish.

The whole process was extremely well managed — from the initial engagement and assignment of the team through to drafting, review and final submission. The team combined an impressive level of expertise and intellectual rigour with a very practical understanding of how to develop a strong funding application.

At every stage, requests for information and input were clear and well structured, making it easy for us to contribute what was needed. The way the bid drafts were presented and the process for providing and reviewing feedback also worked exceptionally well.

What impressed us particularly was the attention given to our input. Every piece of information, comment and feedback we provided was clearly considered and either incorporated into the application or appropriately addressed. It gave us real confidence that the team had understood both our project and the detail behind it, rather than simply applying a standard bid-writing formula.

Overall, GrantUp made what can be a demanding and complex process feel remarkably well organised and collaborative. We were very impressed with both the quality of the team and the professionalism of the service, and would be very happy to work with them again.

We worked with Anjuli & Thomas at GrantUp on our EIC proposal, and the whole experience was a world away from what I'd braced myself for. The EIC application is notoriously demanding — dense, technical, and unforgiving of a weak narrative — and they got up to speed on our technology and our commercial case faster than I expected.

What stood out most was how they helped us reframe the technical innovation itself — taking what we knew inside out but were describing the wrong way, and helping us present it in the language and structure that EIC assessors are actually looking for. That's a genuinely hard skill: understanding both the science and how a panel reads it. They asked exactly the right questions to get there, kept us on track against a tight deadline, and made the whole process far less stressful than I've come to expect from grant writing.

Would absolutely work with Anjuli and Thomas again.

Our grant writer, Lisa, was a force of nature. Absolutely amazing at articulating value in a way that best showcases our capabilities.

We applied for a Pathfinder with GrantUp and Lisa was literally a godsend. She helped us navigate consortium building, requirements, budget calculations and was a great thought partner to make sure our proposal was coherent and our reasoning really came through in the final proposal. She was very responsive and knowledgeable, I'd work with her again in a heartbeat.

The standout for me was how quickly they got it! We worked with Katie & Lisa and it was clear that they did their homework on our idea which spanned a number of technical fields. The bid they wrote was compelling and coherent and they helped us to answer important questions in advance of ever starting the work.

I would add it has been the least stressful grant application of my long career and we will certainly work with GrantUp again.

1 star

I would strongly advise other small businesses to be extremely cautious before paying GrantUp.

We engaged GrantUp and paid them thousands of pounds to assist us with a grant opportunity.

Our fundamental complaint is very simple: it was only after we had committed and paid, at the beginning of the process, that we were told about significant restrictions relating to our sector and the grant.

Had those restrictions and the associated eligibility risk been clearly explained to us before we signed up and paid, we would never have invested the money.

As a small business, thousands of pounds is significant. We relied on a specialist grant consultancy to properly assess the opportunity before taking our money. Instead, we feel we were sold the service first and given information afterwards that would have materially affected our decision to buy.

We subsequently asked for our money back. GrantUp has disputed our position and has not agreed to refund the amount we paid.

We feel completely let down and, frankly, taken for a ride.

This isn't simply about being unsuccessful with a grant. We understand that no consultancy can guarantee that a grant application will succeed.

Our complaint is about what we believe should have been disclosed before we were asked to commit our money.

If the relevant restrictions and risks had been made clear to us beforehand, we would not have proceeded. That is the central issue.

We are now pursuing the matter formally and intend to make sure our experience is documented and brought to the attention of the appropriate parties.

I am posting this review because other founders and small businesses considering spending thousands of pounds on grant consultancy deserve to ask the right questions before handing over their money.

My advice: before paying GrantUp, get them to confirm in writing that they have assessed your business and sector against the grant's eligibility requirements, and ask them to disclose in writing any restrictions or material risks they have identified.

Based on our experience, I would not use GrantUp again and could not recommend them.

We just completed our first grant application with GrantUp and are very satisfied with their service. We came in with no experience regarding grants, but thanks to their great support, we've been able to quickly complete a very strong application before the deadline.

Exceptional advice and exceptional people. We really felt they were passionate about our application, have championed it, and made a huge difference .

Grant promised that they would evaluate my application and inform me if it was unlikely to be approved. They claimed an 80%+ grant approval rate but their service suggests otherwise.

My grant writer sent me a copy of the final application for review on the day of submission a few hours before 11 am (Deadline). I spotted several mistakes and errors and pointed them out.

After that, I received no formal communication from them to confirm it had been submitted. When the grant was reviewed by Innovate UK, it was not approved, and the assessors cited financial and budgetary discrepancies as one of the main reasons.

When I reached out to my grant writer (the company CEO) about this, I got no response at all. A few weeks later, I received an automated email saying I could get a discount on a future application.

I think this is unacceptable, considering we spent £5k on this application.

I arranged a free consultation with Grantup which they cancelled just minutes before it was supposed to begin.

They followed up later to specifically request a call with us for an opportunity but no one showed up for the call leaving us waiting on a call.

No communication or reasoning given. Real shame.

I've never felt more confident or at ease submitting a grant application than I did with GrantUp. Their team was not only knowledgeable but also incredibly helpful and flexible, handling the majority of the grant writing for our IUK Smart Grant. They knew exactly what questions to ask and how to transform our responses into a compelling, well-structured application that met all the grant’s specific requirements while maximizing impact in the areas that matter most for scoring high.

We were initially hesitant about the upfront service costs—especially since grant applications are always a bit of a gamble—but GrantUp proved to be worth every penny. Their expertise and support made all the difference, and I wouldn’t hesitate to work with them again.

We are delighted to partner with GrantUp. Ben is a superb bid writer and never fails to deliver! Thank you.

We worked with Dan and had a great experience. He was very organized and coordinated even though we had a tight deadline. He handled our partner organizations and made sure everything was on track and submitted on time. I can recommend the service.

GU deliverd exactly what they promised

Working with GrantUp was one of the best decisions we made. They took the time to understand our business and crafted an application that perfectly highlighted our strengths we'll definitely work with Sarah again in the future!

We were completely new to the world of inovation funding, but Ben and GrantUp team made it feel so easy. They walked us through everything step-by-step and made sure our application was as strong as possible

GU made the entire application process seamless-a funtastic experience

GrantUp helped us secure an InnovateUK grant, and we couldn't have done it without their expert guidance! Cheers!!

The Grant Up team are excellent professionals who have helped and guided our success in winning 3 IUK grants over the past 18 months. Top communication skills matched with funding savvy make them our First Choice for bid writing. We will be working together on new applications and happily recommend them to other innovators! Cheers, Nick

Dan was great to work with and helped us put in a solid application which got through to the next stage of the IUK Loan process.