TWO enterprising University of Worcester students have scooped a £5,000 cash investment in their business in a Dragon’s Den style event.
Third year business management students Evan Greenlees and Kasra Salehi pitched their idea for the company, Little Guardians, at this year’s BOSS competition. They aim to help children learn to read while building early sustainability awareness through storytelling.
The annual BOSS competition was created and is facilitated by Milford Research and Consultancy Ltd in collaboration with the university and has become a highlight of the calendar for students at Worcester Business School.
The event sees teams of students pitch their business ideas to a panel of expert business leaders, who decide who will receive the cash funding. The experts also spend time giving feedback to all entrants.
The winner receives a £5,000 prize, while both runners up were awarded prizes of £2,000 and £3,000 respectively.
The event is made possible through a partnership that Milford Research and Consultancy has with the Institute of Leadership, which provides the prize funds. Milford Research enables the student finalist’s membership to the Institute, including its networks, resources and mentorship opportunities.
Evan and Kasra’s business seeks to produce a range of 15 books, aimed at children aged two to six, sponsored by businesses and given free to schools.
Kasra said: “I feel amazing. We started with an idea to help people and make a change in the world, and it feels amazing that a lot of people feel the same about the issue and want to help us
“This means everything to us, it’s the start of our journey, and we’re going to grow from this every day to meet our goals.”
Also pitching her businesses was business psychology student Diana Wing Lee, who won £2,000 when she pitched for investment in her business Foreignteer, a digital platform uniting travellers who wish to carry out ‘micro volunteering’ exercises with non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Meanwhile, business Mmnagement student Fabienne Gengnagel was awarded a £3,000 investment in her business idea, The Druid’s Nest, a social enterprise and charity cafe with an integrated wellbeing space, designed as a calm and low-pressure environment especially for people who have neurodivergences.
