About Us

Aaron has a track record for winning grant funding and delivering projects, across existing and past businesses as a founder. He’s very passionate about writing high-quality, clear and compelling applications for businesses that want to win funding.

Aaron has started a variety of companies over the last 15 years, all of which benefited from government grant funding to get them going. He has won over 30 grant applications for his own businesses. Aaron founded GrantUp to help others achieve grant funding success for their innovations too. We have now worked with hundreds of organisations from a wide range of industries to help them in their pursuit of grant funding. Aaron's motivation is to help impactful innovations get funded so they can make the world a better place.

Katy has a strong track record of building and maintaining successful partnerships with a diverse range of companies and organisations. With over twenty years of experience in the field, she has a proven ability to identify mutually beneficial opportunities and negotiate win-win deals.

Katy is highly skilled at cultivating relationships and has a natural ability to connect with people from all walks of life. She is a strategic thinker and excels at developing creative solutions to complex problems. As Sales Director, she is responsible for driving revenue growth through the development of new partnerships and the expansion of existing ones.

Sarah's extensive experience and deep understanding of the intricate nuances of the grant application and R&D tax landscape make her an invaluable asset to anyone seeking support for their innovative projects. Her strategic approach, coupled with a keen eye for detail, ensures that each client's unique needs are addressed comprehensively. Her expertise and dedication make her your reliable partner in your pursuit of innovation and success.

With an impressive background as a registered PRINCE2 practitioner and a qualified teacher, Sarah embodies a unique blend of project management expertise and a passion for education. Her seven years of dedicated service within the public sector have honed her skills in identifying untapped tax credit opportunities for our clients. Sarah's ability to bridge the gap between government policies, HMRC regulations, and industry needs is truly exceptional, allowing her to effortlessly translate work into successful grant applications and R&D tax claims.

Dr Felix Warren is a Lead Innovation Consultant at GrantUp with a proven record of securing over £8.5 million in competitive R&D funding. He has written successful bids across Innovate UK competitions including Smart, Biomedical Catalyst, Advanced Precision Medicine, Farming Futures Fund, and Investor Partnerships, as well as Horizon Europe and NIHR’s i4i Connect and PDA competitions. Alongside this, Felix has reviewed more than 500 grant applications, giving him unique insight into what funders look for and how to craft proposals that succeed.

With a PhD in Precision Medicine from the University of Glasgow and years of experience in MedTech and life sciences innovation, Felix brings both scientific expertise and strategic consultancy skills to his clients. He has project-managed multi-million-pound collaborations, including a £2.5 million DEFRA-funded consortium, and led high-impact proposals that balance technical excellence with commercial and regulatory requirements. His approach combines rigorous analysis with clear communication, ensuring complex innovations are translated into compelling cases for funding.

Beyond consultancy, Felix is a committed STEM ambassador and educator. He helped design and deliver an undergraduate biology course recognised by The Guardian as the UK’s best life sciences course in 2023 and has presented his own research at international conferences. Through outreach and science festivals, he hopes to help inspire the next generation of innovators. At GrantUp, Felix works with clients to not only win funding but also to build strategies that accelerate their innovations towards real-world impact.

Katie is a highly experienced Innovation Consultant and Grant Writer with over a decade of expertise in securing funding for science and engineering projects. She has successfully raised over £35 million for initiatives in advanced manufacturing, recycling, biotech, food processing, agri-tech, and sustainable innovation.

Katie has an in-depth understanding of UK and EU funding mechanisms from a range of funding bodies, such as Innovate UK, DEFRA, DESNZ, BEIS, Carbon Trust and the European Commission. She excels in managing the end-to-end bid process; collaborating with SME’s, large organisations and research institutions/universities to deliver high quality grant applications.

Katie’s expertise in Innovation Consultancy is underpinned by a strong science background, including an MChem from the University of Leeds and a PhD in Sustainable Organic Chemistry from the University of Nottingham in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline–with her research published in several high-impact journals. Combined with her strategic insight, attention to detail, analytical mindset, and communication skills, she is a valuable asset to organisations seeking to drive innovation and secure funding for transformative projects.

Ben is an experienced bid writer with wider ranging expertise, addressing funder requirements across multiple sectors. He has secured more than 300 grants for clients over the past 10 years. Alongside Innovate UK and Research Council applications, he has unique experience developing proposals of interest to charities, trusts and foundations.

With an academic background crossing biomedicine and history he is particularly keen to support projects that contribute to public good and more efficient business practice, including via the creative industries and through provision of better services. He is also an IUK expert reviewer.

Ben has spent over ten years supporting funding applications at the universities of Durham and Bath. He is now primarily focused Innovate UK bids as well as other funding bodies for academic and commercial bids. He maintains extensive knowledge of lesser known funders. He is also a Research Committee member of the Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases (BIRD) and a Trustee of Bath Mind mental health charity.

Daniel has been in the world of grants for over 3 years, and has worked on a variety of grant applications - IUK, NIHR, EIC, DASA - across a spectrum of different sectors, such as FinTech, DeepTech, construction, cryptocurrency, and much more. Before working on grants in 2022, Daniel had worked in R&D Tax Credits for 3 years, delivering yet another wide range of applications in industries ranging from food & drink, CNC machinery, and software, to projects that involved the European Space Agency.Since 2022, Dan has delivered many successful funding applications, primarily in IUK’s former SMART programme, IUK’s Innovation Loan fund, and IUK’s Biomedical Catalyst (BMC). Dan’s educational background is in English Literature and History; his experience in technical writing at degree level has given him an understanding of how to balance brevity and detail to deliver the clearest proposal without sacrificing crucial information related to the project.

Dan’s approach to writing is collaborative; working closely with clients to gather the most technical information available, and then working to make the information palatable to anybody who may be reading it that is not an expert in the field, making him the ideal writer when delivering proposals to grant assessors. Dan not only works with clients to generate the best possible application, he prioritises accountability, communication and reliability to create and nurture a long-term relationship with clients.

Martin has 7 year’s experience writing grant applications and during that time he has secured over £30m in funded projects. His experience includes 30 years in high tech businesses, principally aerospace, and has a broad scientific and technical background. During this time he was most recently involved in leadership at a technology start-up business within Collins Aerospace including development of technology strategy and delivery of Innovate UK grants to fund the required technologies. Since 2019 Martin has been a bid assessor for Innovate UK and a project Monitoring Officer giving him a unique insight into what is needed to win and deliver projects.

Dr Thomas Kelly is an experienced grant writer and R&D innovation consultant with deep knowledge of UK, US, and EU funding landscapes, including Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, NIHR, and SBIR. He has successfully raised over £2.5 million for tech start-ups through highly competitive schemes, including the Innovate UK Smart Grant, EIC Accelerator, and NIHR Connect and Product Development. 

His expertise lies in AI and digital products, but he has also written winning proposals across diverse sectors, including green energy and sustainability, medtech and healthtech, maritime, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agritech, and fintech. Skilled in navigating complex application processes, he develops tailored funding strategies that help businesses de-risk innovation, scale effectively, and bring breakthrough technologies to market.

With a strong academic foundation, Thomas holds a PhD in English Literature from King’s College London, where he taught courses on persuasive writing, research methodologies, and literary theory. He has presented his research at international conferences focusing on themes such as imagined communities, technological utopianism, and urban verticality work that sharpens his ability to analyse and frame narratives of progress and innovation critically. His approach to grant writing is highly collaborative: he works closely with clients to distil complex technical innovations into compelling, accessible proposals that appeal directly to grant evaluators.

A bid writer with over 10 years of experience at the interface between university and industry research and development. He has substantial experience applying for Innovate UK, NIHR and EU funding and maintains a close awareness of developments in the funding landscape. He is an Expert Reviewer for the European Commission and IUK.

Matthew has substantial experience developing projects across a wide range of innovation areas, including healthcare, software and hardware. He has particular expertise in projects that utilise emerging digital and creative technologies, such as AI, Computer Vision, Createch, immersive technologies and cloud computing for novel applications. This includes 7 years establishing and managing the CAMERA research centre at the University of Bath where he was Operations Director.

He has submitted multiple successful grant applications in these disciplines and more widely for both academic and company groups, including for his own start-ups.

Kevin is a distinguished international consulting bid specialist based in the UK, wielding over 30 years of expertise in securing grants for a diverse clientele. Over the past 6 years, Kevin has orchestrated impressive wins totalling £37.2M, spanning SMEs, universities, NHS, and Local Government. His strategic prowess extends to roles with the UK Government, bidding for multi-million £ Treasury funding, and serving as an assessor for substantial grants.

Kevin's impact is evident in his multifaceted support, from developing One Health Enterprise Networks to offering business cluster support. His role as a program supporter for the Wessex Academic Health Science Network and NHSE NHS Innovation Accelerator reflects his commitment to advancing healthcare innovation. As a key figure in the SETsquared Partnership, the world's top business incubator, Kevin leads their grant writing framework and serves as the grants funding expert for the Health Innovation Programme.

With a portfolio that includes clients like Ramboll and public sector organizations, Kevin stands as a qualified senior project and program manager, adept at steering complex multi-partner projects towards success. Collaborate with Kevin for unparalleled expertise in bid writing, strategic partnerships, and grant funding.

Lucy is our highly organised operations manager that makes sure our team is supported and our processes are managed across admin, financial, legal and other departments. She has a proven track record of streamlining processes, improving efficiency, and increasing productivity in a variety of industries.

Lucy is highly organised and detail-oriented, with a strong ability to prioritise tasks and manage time effectively. In her current role, Lucy is responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations, including logistics, production, and customer service. She works closely with our cross-functional teams to ensure smooth and efficient operations, and is constantly looking for ways to improve processes and drive business success.

With a robust background in molecular diagnostics and a track record of developing innovative testing panels, Stacy is a seasoned professional who excels in the scientific arena. With expertise that extends beyond the laboratory, encompassing educational and sports sectors, where her analytical acumen and creative problem-solving skills come to the fore.

As an Innovation Consultant, Stacy thrives on guiding and advising projects on the most effective paths for development. With a strong ability to forge and nurture strategic relationships between companies, which has been instrumental in driving collaborative success and advancing industry standards.

Patience leads Growth at GrantUp, helping connect more innovators and R&D leaders with the funding support they need. She drives our commercial strategy, focusing on building strong pipelines, refining our positioning in the market, and scaling acquisition across every stage of the funnel.

With a background in high-growth B2B tech and a strong focus on results, Patience brings deep expertise in go-to-market strategy, channel performance, and lifecycle marketing. Her work supports GrantUp’s mission to increase access to funding for ambitious, high-impact projects.

Since joining the team, she has played a key role in expanding our reach across sectors like AI, Advanced Manufacturing, MedTech, and Net Zero, ensuring more great ideas get the backing they deserve.