The Tyk side project fund

Do you have an exciting and innovative side project?

Tell us about your project for a chance to win funding through the Tyk side project fund!

The deadline for side project fund is now complete. Please follow our Twitter and LinkedIn accounts for when we announce our next funding round.

FAQs

Get funding for your side project essentials

Side projects tend to run on a shoestring, but there comes a point when you need to scale if your project is ever going to become something more. We can help with that.

Be part of a supportive community

Tyk understands the value of community support. We wouldn’t be where we are today without it. As well as providing funding, we’ll welcome you into the Tyk community with open arms.

Enjoy a major boost to your motivation

Working on a side project can be lonely, which means it’s easy to lose momentum. With our support, we’re confident you’ll get the boost you need to continue working on it!

What’s involved?

The Tyk side project fund is a micro-grant programme for people doing cool things.

Chosen projects will be awarded £500 each, which has to be used to move the project forward.

This means we’re not handing out cash (sorry) but will pay for what you need, like training, software, hosting, etc. – anything that will make a tangible impact.

What we’re looking for

Side projects created out of sheer passion – with a splash of bloody-mindedness and determination.

  • A software project such as a product, platform, service, or event
  • Development to be underway (e.g. at least the first draft of the roadmap is available, or coding has started)
  • A solution to an identified problem
  • A project with a vision. It doesn’t need to be well-defined or well-written; we just want to see what your goals are

Plus points:

  • The product is heavily reliant on APIs or is an API
  • Your project is open source
  • There is already a minimum viable product

Some of our success stories

Why was the Tyk side project fund created?

Years ago, Tyk was the pipe dream of a frustrated engineer (now our CEO, Martin). All he wanted was a performant, cheap, open source API gateway, but he couldn’t find what he was looking for. So he went ahead and built his own.

We believe in the dynamism of engineers and techies who produce excellent products, improvements to existing ones, useful plug-ins/hacks, and put open data to good use. This kind of energy is changing the world!
We rely on our vibrant community to make Tyk better for everyone. This got us thinking; we should give a hand to people who share our attitude to help their projects flourish.

And that’s how the Tyk side project was born.

What do our side project winners have to say?

  • When I got the email from Tyk letting me know that I had won funding I was just blown away. Until that point I hadn’t really committed any resources to Plurality, other than my time. Having the Tyk funding has given me the ability to start running Plurality in a production environment so that day to day I can use and test out the application.

    Derek Ekins, 2020 Tyk Side Project Fund Winner

  • The Tyk funding is certainly a much needed welcome surprise in the side projects landscape!

    Liyas Thomas, 2020 Tyk Side Project Fund Winner

  • The publicity associated with the Tyk Side Project Fund is helpful – everything from mentions on social media to this interview aids in raising brand awareness. Overall, it’s an important step in helping us to hopefully grow from micro to macro.

    Kacper Niburski, 2020 Tyk Side Project Fund Winner

  • The Tyk Side Project Fund money means that we’ll be able to put a professional package together on a professional platform. If we hadn’t had the Tyk money, I don’t think we would have been able to do that. The support and attention from Tyk will really push it to the next level.

    Jessica Russell, 2020 Tyk Side Project Fund Winner

  • Aside from the grant itself, Tyk has given me the motivation to continue working on the project!

    Sergii Zaitsev, 2020 Tyk Side Project Fund Winner

  • The impact that the funding will have is huge.

    Pablo Jimenez Mateo, 2020 Tyk Side Project Fund Winner

FAQs

  • How do I receive the funding?
    We’re not giving away cash money. If you are successful, we will make a payment directly to a product or service provider that you have specified – or an alternative that we suggest – that you need for your side project to grow.
  • When can I expect to hear back?
    We will let you know of our decision in early May. Whether you are successful or unsuccessful, you will be notified either way by email. We will provide personal feedback where possible.
  • What kind of need will you fund?
    For successful applicants, we will fund products or services that contribute to the success of a side project that you can’t fund yourself. This might be a website, hosting, software, training, or something else. We will discuss plans with the winner directly and make payment directly towards a product/service.

  • Who is eligible to apply for a Tyk micro-grant?
    The micro-grant side project funding is open to anyone aged 18 years or over except employees of Tyk Technologies Ltd and their close relatives and anyone otherwise connected with the organisation or judging of the funding.

  • Will Tyk share the details of my project?

    If you are awarded a micro-grant, we’ll share your project with our tech community and various tech publications and media, on our website and social channels.

  • How will Tyk inform successful applicants?
    Each application will be assessed by a selection panel made up of people from Tyk and other experts in the tech industry. All applications are judged based on what side project shows great potential and where we can offer the best help. Applications will be filtered for legitimacy, credibility and legality before final selections are made. In any given application window, there might be no successful applicants. Tyk reserves the right to decline funding for any reason. No correspondence will be entered into.
  • What’s the catch?
    There isn’t one. To be clear, we do not ask for intellectual property, equity, cash – any ‘ROI’ whatsoever. This is your side project, after all.
    We would, however, love to share the stories of the funded projects via website, social media and press channels.

It’s time to grow your side project

If you don’t try, you’ll never know.