Students from Leeds University Business School (LUBS) showed off their entrepreneurial spirit as they pitched business ideas to industry experts in the LUBS Entrepreneur Award 2024.
The panel of experts included Rachel Woolford owner of North Studio and winner of The Apprentice 2024, Jane Slimming, CEO of Zeal and Becky Dam, Founder and Owner of Magpie and University of Leeds Enterprise Ambassador.
I think they were all brilliant.”
Rachel, who is from Leeds, launched boutique gym North Studio during Covid. After establishing two successful locations, Rachel won the BBC1 series The Apprentice this year, securing a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar.
Rachel said: “It takes serious nerve to get up and pitch an idea. I think they were all brilliant. It feels really good to give something back to young people.”
Fellow enterpreneur Jane set up Zeal agency in 2010, a business which helps e-commerce startups achieve growth through branding, tech and marketing. University of Leeds graduate Becky co-founded Magpie, a creative communications agency which specialising in behavioural science, creativity and collaboration, in 2009.
The event was sponsored by the University’s International Research Collaboration Fund and hosted in the new learning innovation hub, HELIX.
Students developed entrepreneurship and commercial awareness skills, and created an innovative business concept, where their ideas ranged from a fitness app to pet care, sustainable food packaging and whiskey tasting.
I have learnt so much from the process including creating a business plan and meeting successful entrepreneurs.”
Over 163 students from 17 countries took part in the project, led by Rebecca Padgett, Dr Vita Kadile and Dr Richard Tunstall from Leeds University Business School. Students were shortlisted to 10 groups, from across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. They presented product concepts, costings and market research to the panel of experts for feedback on their ideas.
Winner of the LUBS Enterprise Award, Imogen Maguire, who is studying BA Business Management, had an idea for Power Now, an app to help EV charging cars. Imogen said: “Entering this competition has been brilliant. I have learnt so much from the process including creating a business plan and meeting successful entrepreneurs.
“The idea for Power Now came to me because my mum has an electric car and she spent most of one day trying to find a charger. I thought there had to be an easier way of trying to charge up your car.
“This problem affects so many people and especially those living in flats. The infrastructure is simply not there.
“For instance, about a quarter of Generation Z live in city centres and they are also very environmentally conscious so are more likely to buy an electric car. This app would enable them to find somewhere to charge so much more quickly and easily.”
In second place was Hana Quiros Rios and Sreynik Seng, both studying a MSc Global Strategy and Innovation Management, who developed an idea for sustainable takeaway food packaging. In third place was Oi Lam Sin, Oi Man Fung, Sz-An Luo and Yin-Tung Chen, all MSc Advertising and Marketing students, who pitched an idea for a pet care service.
The top three student teams with Rachel Woolford, Jane Slimming and Becky Dam.
All students completing the award have the opportunity to work with SPARK, the University business startup service, and will also be invited to submit for the Climb24 event, a festival of innovation and collaboration.
Rebecca Padgett, Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Leeds, said: “We are so proud of all our students. Seeing so many take part so wholeheartedly, and demonstrating such outstanding capabilities in their own time outside of their studies, with people from all around the globe to develop their skills knowledge and behaviour in enterprise, has been a real privilege.
“We hope we can now take this forward across the whole University, work with other universities in the UK and internationally and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.”
Further information
For more information, please contact Rebecca Hurrey at r.hurrey@leeds.ac.uk in the University of Leeds Press Office.
Picture Credit: Simon and Simon Photography.