Start-ups given cash boost at University of Manchester’s entrepreneurship awards

Seven start-ups have secured a share of a £50k prize pot after being announced as winners of the Venture Further awards, the annual start-up competition run by Manchester Enterprise Centre.

The Manchester Business School-based awards were open to all students and recent alumni of the University, the competition received a total of 68 entries across the four prize categories: Business, Social, Technology and Graphene.

After submitting their detailed business proposals for consideration, the 13 shortlisted finalists then had to pitch their idea to a panel of expert judges.

All four University faculties produced category winners, who were announced at an awards dinner at the Museum of Science and Industry on Thursday May 8.

In the Technology category, knowledge database software specialist Biorelate – established by Faculty of Life Sciences PhD student Daniel Jamieson and School of Computer Science student Radu Nedelcu – secured the top prize of £10k.

Agricultural device developer Tripto, which aims to bridge the gap between state-of-the-art and developing farming industries, was the runner-up and received £2,500.

Daniel Jamieson, said: “This has been an absolutely brilliant experience and the support we have received from Venture Further has been fantastic.

“Winning means that we now can talk to people as a serious company and attract investors we would not have had the chance to before. This is just the start of the successes for our company”

Little Missing Piece Co. was awarded first place and £10k in the Social category. The business provides support services for the autistic community and is the brainchild of Ryan Anthony Shoesmith, a student of the School of Psychological Sciences.

PrizeDream was named runner-up, and founder andManchester Business School student Monique Anderson hopes the £2,500 prize will help her business become the UK’s leading fundraising platform.

Ryan Anthony Shoesmith, commented: “I am really pleased to have been given this opportunity, the whole process has been great and this is the just the icing on the cake.

“I entered the competition to prove my business idea had potential and to really refine my idea, but now I have the opportunity to do something brilliant. It is an exciting time ahead and my first step will be to establish the website and recruit technology experts to expand the product line.

“I would definitely recommend Venture Further there is nothing to lose and a lot to gain.”

In the Business category, BrumBrumBeepBeep.com was given the top prize of £10,000. Established byManchester Business School alumnus Gareth Wilson, it improves the learning to drive experience by helping learner drivers to find and compare pre-screened independent driving instructors and book and pay for lessons online.

It also helps driving instructors to better run and manage their business and provide a higher quality learning experience to their pupils. Portuguese egg tart producer Ranata received the runner-up prize of £2,500.

GO Filters is a novel and cost-effective extraction membrane which extracts lithium ions – used in modern day batteries – from seawater. The five-strong team behind the business was given a special development award and £5,000 in prize money as the stand-out entrant in the Graphene category.

Lynn Sheppard, director of Manchester Enterprise Centre said: “The standard of entries was the best we have ever seen. We seek to give people the skills, confidence and vital funding to identify and act on new opportunities.

“It’s inspiring to see so many entrepreneurial students and graduates from a range of disciplines that are serious about starting their own business.”

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