PortaSauna named top three SME in national Santander X UK Awards 2025

We have some very special news to share.

PortaSauna has been named third place in the SME category at the Santander X UK Awards 2025 – Santander UK’s flagship competition for innovative and early-stage businesses.

The announcement was made at the national final held on 13 November at Unity Place, Santander UK’s headquarters in Milton Keynes. Nine finalists across three categories (University, Start-up and SME) pitched live to a panel of high-profile judges including former F1 boss Claire Williams, entrepreneur and investor Deborah Meaden, and Santander UK CEO Mike Regnier. Santander UK

You can read the official Santander UK announcement here:
Santander UK announces winners of its annual awards competition for innovative and early-stage entrepreneurs. Santander UK

From thousands of entries to a national stage

This year’s Santander X UK Awards brought together ambitious founders from right across the country.

• Three categories: University, Start-up and SME

• 150 shortlisted businesses in total

• Online pitch workshops with experts breaking down what makes a powerful business pitch

• Online and in-person pitch heats, leading to the national final in Milton Keynes

• Nine finalists (three per category) competing for a share of £135,000 in equity-free funding and business support Santander UK

PortaSauna represented the SME category, alongside two incredible businesses:

• Amparo Prosthetics Ltd – 1st place

• Stand Out Enterprises Ltd – 2nd place

• PortaSauna Ltd – 3rd place, receiving £10,000 in equity-free funding Santander UK

While only the three first-place winners will go on to formally represent the UK in the Santander X Global Awards, all nine national winners – including PortaSauna – now join the global Santander X community and benefit from ongoing support, visibility and connections. Santander UK

Why this matters for PortaSauna

For us, this result is about more than prize money.

Less than two years ago, PortaSauna was an idea shared between friends in Portsmouth. We wanted to make real, wood-fired sauna experiences possible in any back garden, on any beach, and at any event, without the cost and hassle of permanent buildings.

Since then, PortaSauna has grown into a fast-moving wellness brand, with:

• Customers across the UK using our HEX and HEXXL tents in gardens, gyms and outdoor spaces

• Businesses using PortaSauna for events, retreats and recovery sessions

• A growing community of cold water swimmers, athletes and wellness lovers embracing sauna and plunge as part of their weekly routine

To stand on stage at Santander’s headquarters and be recognised in the top three UK SMEs in this competition is a big moment of validation. It shows that portable wellness, community-led recovery and contrast therapy have a real place in the future of health and wellbeing.

In the words of Santander UK’s CEO

Mike Regnier, CEO at Santander UK, summed up why programmes like this matter:

“Start-ups play a vital role in stimulating growth and innovation in the UK economy – they attract investment, enhance productivity and create jobs. However, building a successful business is no mean feat in today’s world. With rising costs and competitive access to finance, almost nine in 10 business-owners are calling for more funding and support.

That’s why the Santander X Awards, our global entrepreneurship programme, sets out to support founders across the world with the funding and skills to take their businesses to the next level. A huge congratulations to this year’s winners – I look forward to watching your businesses grow.” Santander UK

We feel that support very directly. The combination of funding, profile and connections will help us move faster on some key projects for 2026:

• Expanding our UK retail presence

• Growing PortaSauna EU with our European partners

• Scaling our community events and pop-up sauna experiences

• Continuing to improve our product range across saunas and plunge pools

15 years of backing UK founders

The Santander X UK Awards has been running in various forms since 2010, originally focused on university entrepreneurs and later expanding to include start-ups and SMEs. Over that time, Santander UK has provided more than £1.1 million in equity-free funding and supported thousands of British start-ups and small businesses. Santander UK

The new SME category, introduced for 2025, is designed to recognise early-stage incorporated businesses that are already trading and growing, but still in the scrappy, hands-on phase that so many founders know well.

For a young company like PortaSauna, being part of this milestone year – and part of the first SME cohort – feels particularly special.

A thank you from the founders

From everyone at PortaSauna, a huge thank you to:

• Santander UK and the Santander X team for creating this platform and believing in early-stage businesses

• The judges and mentors who gave feedback and encouragement through the process

• Our customers, ambassadors, retailers and partners who have believed in us, shared our story and invited PortaSauna into their communities

• The friends and families who have put up with long days, late nights, and a lot of talk about saunas

We are proud to be bringing this award back to Portsmouth and to the wider wellness community that has supported us from day one.

What’s next?

We will share more over the coming months about how we are using this funding and support to grow PortaSauna in the UK and beyond.

For now, if you would like to read more about the competition and the full list of winners, you can visit the Santander press release here:
https://www.santander.co.uk/about-santander/media-centre/press-releases/santander-uk-announces-winners-of-its-annual-awards-1. Santander UK

And if you are new here and just discovering PortaSauna through Santander X, welcome. We would love to show you how a portable, wood-fired sauna can fit into your life, your garden, your training plan or your next event.