Aston University’s Entrepreneurial Students Showcase Business Concepts in Dragons’ Den-Style Competition
Entrepreneurial students from Aston University have competed for funding for their business ideas and startups in the final of a dragons’ den-style competition.
Idea Launchpad, organised by the Aston Enterprise and Entrepreneurship department in Aston Business School, was held on Tuesday 12 March 2024.
The Santander Universities-sponsored competition offered students the opportunity to pitch for a share of a £3250 prize pot.
Six finalists, selected from over 60 applicants, including a student vote, pitched their business ideas to a panel of three judges and a live audience.
The judges, Paula Whitehouse (deputy dean enterprise and engagement for the College of Business and Social Sciences at Aston University), Omran Al Habbal (founder and CEO of Leading Lines) and Cleo Morris (founder and CEO of Mission Diverse) were given the task of deciding a winner for the two categories of Idea and Launch. Each of the winners receive £1500 of seed funding for their business.
The judges awarded the winner of the Idea category to Abdallah Hisham for his business idea Momentum, a robotics startup that leverages new technologies to solve current global environmental challenges. He is studying for an MSc in AI with Business Strategy following a first degree in engineering. He is keen to partner with the Canal & River Trust to clean up the city’s canals.
The judges awarded the winner of the Launch category to the Build an Experience team. The three co-founders Alex Kyte, Alex Follows and Louis Silvestri are first year students studying Business Enterprise and Development. They set up their student travel business to help solve the problem of isolation, particularly amongst international students.
Paula Whitehouse commented:
“The standard of the business ideas this year was exceptionally high and choosing two winners was a difficult task.
“We were very impressed by all the finalists, but Momentum and Build an Experience stood out as having a strong vision as well as being innovative.”
There was also an audience vote, giving attendees and supporters the opportunity to choose their favourite business. The £250 prize went to MBA student Khatereh Saedifar for her accounting education app, AccoAssist.
All the finalists will be offered support from BSEEN, the student and graduate startup support programme. The package of support includes an intensive startup bootcamp, networking opportunities, tailored business mentoring and use of the co-working space in Aston University’s headquarters, John Cadbury House.