Grants Aren’t Free Money — They’re Answers to a Question You Haven’t Asked Yet
Most founders read a grants list the way they read a menu: scanning for the biggest portion at the lowest price. But a UK grant, tax-relief scheme, or innovation fund isn’t really “money for your business” — it’s a tool built to answer one specific question. Can this thing be built? Will anyone buy it? Can your team actually deliver it at scale? Would a sophisticated investor bet on it? Treating every scheme as interchangeable cash is how founders end up six months into a slow, paperwork-heavy application for something that was never going to solve their actual problem.