What an amazing year at SU Enterprise!
Wow! We’ve had an incredible year at SU Enterprise, filled with so much talent, drive, and success from our student entrepreneurs. We’re constantly blown away by the amazing things that Queen’s University Belfast students come up with! From creating leather out of mushrooms, to teabags designed specifically for cocktails, our students at Queen’s University Belfast are truly innovative thinkers and problem solvers. We’ve been honoured to support and guide them throughout this journey.
Let’s take a look at some of the cool things that happened this year in numbers:
The InnovateHer Programme: We received a whopping 100 applications this year for just 25 spots! It’s been a record-breaking year, and we’re thrilled to see so much interest and enthusiasm.
‘What’s The Big Idea?’ Competition: This awesome competition attracted 93 applications with amazing business ideas. We love seeing all the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit our fellow students bring to the table.
QUB Dragons’ Den Competition: Nearly 80 students competed for a chance to win a share of the £20,000 prize! Talk about a nail-biting competition. Our fellow students showcased their determination and ambition throughout the process.
Co-working Space: This year we launched the brand new SU CoWork at Queen’s Students Union with a little help from the Queen’s Annual Fund. Students have started to use this space to network, collaborate and concentrate on developing their start-up.
Personalised Support: Throughout the year, the SU Enterprise team provided one-on-one guidance and mentorship to over 60 students, helping them to progress their businesses and turn their dreams into reality.
Funding Success: We’re thrilled to share that QUB students secured an amazing £275,000 of equity-free grant funding to develop their ideas. This financial support is a game-changer for students and will help bring their visions to life.
Not only that, but our fellow students also made waves in prestigious competitions like IDEATE Ireland, Invent 2023, the Student Entrepreneur Awards, and Techstart Proof of Concept. It’s incredible to see our students shine on such big stages and make a name for themselves.
22/23 for Team Atlas
SU Enterprise alumni Team Atlas won the ‘Best New Start’ category at InterTradeIreland Seedcorn competition securing them €50k worth of funding for their startup in November.
They also won the top prize of £5,000 at the Engineers in Business Champion of Champions Final in October.
22/23 for Gran Lab
QUB Dragons’ Den finalist, Pragya Sharma, has had a hugely successful year with her business, Gran Lab, having won Techstart Ventures LLP Proof of Concept £10k grant, the Female Founders £35k grant, £3,000 of funding from Women in Business NI, among many more!
22/23 for Team Feminatech
QUB Dragons’ Den finalists, Team Feminatech, have succeeded in winning £10k at the BelTech pitching competition, and also won the crowd vote, securing the top prize Belfast Telegraph Business Awards this semester.
Looking back on this incredible year, we’re bursting with pride and full of excitement for what lies ahead. The dedication, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit that we have encountered continues to inspire us. We’re so grateful to be part of this journey with students, offering support, guidance, and a platform help them showcase their amazing ideas.
As we look to the future, we can’t wait to see even more remarkable achievements and ground-breaking inventions from our talented student community. We will continue to support them, and with their unstoppable determination, we know they’ll make a lasting impact on the world.
To all the student entrepreneurs who have been part of this amazing journey, we thank you! Your passion, resilience, and commitment to making a difference are truly inspiring. Keep being creative, chasing your dreams, and making waves in the entrepreneurial world. We’re cheering you on every step of the way!
The ‘What’s the Big Idea?’ competition is an ideas competition where any student can enter with their idea to win up to £700 to use to develop their business.
This year, category winners included:
- Best Overall Idea winner – Josh Marsden
- Green Business Idea winner – Liam Campbell
- Most Innovative Idea Winer – Liam Campbell
- Best Idea for Global Marketplace winner – Matthew Kissick
- Best Idea from an International Student winner – Lokeshkumar Myilsamy
- Best Idea from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences winner – Hannah Wasson
- Best Idea from the Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences winner – Samuel Freeman
- Best Idea from the Faculty of Medicine, Health & Life Sciences winner – Adanna Ewuzie
- Best Idea from a Postgraduate Student winner – Isaac Gibson
- Best Idea for a Social Enterprise winner – Dearbhla Shine
- Best Use of Technology winner – Gareth Bryans
The InnovateHer Programme is a bespoke, female entrepreneurship programme which sees participants learn more about business, entrepreneurship and everything inbetween!
The QUB Dragons’ Den competition is a competition in which students pitch for a share of £20,000 of equity free funding.
There were three winning businesses this year;
- £10,000 was awarded to Maebh Reynolds for ‘Goplugable’
- £5,000 was awarded to Brogán Brady and Conleth Mallon for ‘Instyl’
- £5,000 was awarded to Isaac Gibson for ‘From My Perspective’
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