Backing our small business customers on Xero Day

Today is Xero Day, which marks a special day here at Xero. It’s the anniversary of the day where it all started for us 17 years ago. Our customers, partners and people have played a vital role in our success and Xero Day is about reflecting on all of you and our purpose to make life better for small businesses, their advisors and communities around the world. 

Today, we are announcing a new initiative for our small business customers called the Xero Beautiful Business Fund. The program offers more than NZ$750,000 in funding to help small businesses boost their growth plans and drive future success. 

Watch the clip below to find out more. 

At Xero, we’re driven by a passion to support the future of small business. We know that our small business customers focus on delivering excellence each and every day and go through many years of hard work, often without recognition. The Xero Beautiful Business Fund backs our small business customers in their future aspirations and helps them achieve whatever success means to them. 

How to apply

The Xero Beautiful Business Fund will be open to Xero small business customers in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. 

We’ll officially open entries at Xerocon Sydney on 23 August 2023 with the application period closing on 6 October 2023. The application will include a written form and short video submission. 

What are the funding categories?

Eligible small business customers in each of the countries listed above will be able to apply for the following funding categories that best suit their needs. 

• Innovating for sustainability: For small businesses who want to take the next step on their sustainability journey. It could be to move to sustainable packaging, implement energy-efficient equipment or carbon neutral transport. 
• Trailblazing with technology: For small businesses seeking to take the next step to supercharge their business by digitalising parts of their operations or integrating new emerging technologies.
• Strengthening community connection: For small businesses or non-profits striving towards community connection. It could be to contribute to philanthropy, social good, or make an impact on the community in a meaningful way. 
• Upskilling for the future: For small businesses seeking to support upskilling for themselves or their employees so they can access training and development to further grow. 

For each category, there will be seven regional winners identified by a regional judging panel. The pool of regional winners in each category will then be evaluated by a global judging panel and the winner of each category will receive an additional global prize. 

Where can I learn more?

More information on the Xero Beautiful Business Fund can be found on our dedicated web page. Full terms and conditions including eligibility criteria will be available when entries open. 

We can’t wait to hear from you and hear your story!