ENTREPRENURIAL students from Worcester University have scooped two £5,000 prizes in a Dragon’s Den-style competition to help launch their new businesses.
Will Essex and Janka Chovancova, who are both studying at the university’s Business School, were among the students to pitch their business ideas to a panel of distinguished business leaders.
The WBS (Worcester Business School) BOSS competition was sponsored by Milford Research and Consultancy Limited. The prize money was eventually divided between the two winning students, £5,000 each, but every team got constructive feedback.
Will is the founder of clothing company Helico, aimed at people who wear a mix of fashion and sportswear items. He has been working on the idea for the last four years and plans to use the money to help him launch the business in a few months’ time.
The 21-year-old business management degree student said following the contest, many people in business who attended had reached out offering advice and potential contacts.
And speaking to a room of business professionals did not daunt him.
He continued: “I enjoyed it, I like standing up in front of big groups of people and talking. I know Helico and the idea inside out because I’ve planned it for so long. It’s been a good experience. The BOSS programme taught me a lot, it gave me more insight into the business, different opinions from business professionals, and a lot of things to think about that I wouldn’t have thought about before, so it was really valuable in that sense.”
Janka’s business is Green Grow, but she has been persuaded by the judges to change the name to Smart Grow. This is a gardening app she is developing to help students and urban dwellers grow plants easily.
Janka, who is doing a master’s in international management following her undergraduate degree in business management at Worcester, was supported by recent student Andrej Nagy in her pitch to the judges.
She added: “To win, I was genuinely happy because of the recognition of my ideas, but also because of the funding, which can help me turn my idea into reality. It has boosted my confidence and motivation to get this idea going.”
This is the third year the WBS BOSS Competition has run and organisers are hoping it continues to grow next year.
