A London skyline backdrop greeted Loughborough College students when they arrived at the UK Final of the Young Enterprise Start Up Awards - with a £15,000 investment on offer for the winner.
From hundreds of entries Andrew Wilson and Mina Kashal secured a top ten place in the national competition, supported by Hyundai, with successful bike business Be-Uni, which has launched a website and opened a new shop on the College campus.
Gathered on the 39th floor at One Canada Square in Canary Wharf the finalists were put through a rigorous selection process with judges looking at innovation, financial performance, community impact and potential for growth.
Teams had already been asked to submit an investment proposal and then had to display a trade stand, undertake interviews and an ‘elevator pitch’ and perform an on-stage presentation.
“There were over a hundred people in this room overlooking London and Mina and I had to get on the stage and convince eight judges in the space of four minutes – and you were penalized if you were even a second under or over the time,” said Andrew, 21, who is studying for his Foundation Degree in Sports Science Development and Management.
“In the end we didn’t win but lots of the judges came up afterwards to say Be-Uni was a fantastic idea and to praise our presentation. The whole thing was such a great experience.”
“I had never really been out of Loughborough and suddenly here I was at Canary Wharf with views of the Thames and the Shard, pitching to top people from Hyundai and Young Enterprise,” added Mina, also 21 and approaching her final year of a BA (Hons) in Leadership and Management.
“We have a great team at Be-Uni and that’s what got us through, out of so many entries from all over the country. It was such valuable experience and I can’t thank Loughborough College and Young Enterprise enough for giving us the opportunity to create Be-Uni and be part of that.
“It gave me a real taste of what the future might hold and really boosted my motivation to succeed.”