{"id":4582,"date":"2025-04-10T14:10:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T13:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/?p=4582"},"modified":"2025-07-29T20:12:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:12:55","slug":"qub-dragons-den-awards-2025-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/2025\/04\/10\/qub-dragons-den-awards-2025-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"QUB Dragons\u2019 Den Awards 2025 Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-4593\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-36-1024x683.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-36-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-36-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-36-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-36-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-36-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>On Thursday 3<sup>rd<\/sup>&nbsp;April, 13 finalists entered the QUB Dragons\u2019 Den for a chance at winning a share of the \u00a325,000 prize pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The moment was a culmination of months of hard work by our finalists who have spent many hours refining their pitches in preparation of meeting meet the Dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This highly sought-after competition, facilitated by SU Enterprise, offers participants the chance to walk away with everything they need to launch their own business. This includes equity free funding, hot-desking space in \u2018SU CoWork\u2019 in the Students\u2019 Union as well as specialist mentoring and support. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our 13 finalists for QUB Dragons&#8217; Den were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-autoplay=\"true\" data-delay=\"3\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4626\" data-id=\"4626\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-200-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-200-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-200-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-200-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-200-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-200-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-200.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Aapta Nutrifoods (Shubhamkumar Baviskar and Riya Anandpara)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4587\" data-id=\"4587\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-167-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-167-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-167-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-167-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-167-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-167-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-167-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Athlete Life Vest (Aidan Hegarty)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4612\" data-id=\"4612\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-121-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-121-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-121-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-121-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-121-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-121-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-121-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Benchmark Sports (Brian Conway and Aidan McGeary)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4606\" data-id=\"4606\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-327-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-327-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-327-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-327-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-327-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-327-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-327-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Canguard (Izieduwa Akhionbare)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4609\" data-id=\"4609\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-251-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-251-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-251-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-251-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-251-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-251-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-251-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\"> Cineaste (Fionnuala Hughes and Amy Lonergan)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4611\" data-id=\"4611\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-386-1024x683.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-386-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-386-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-386-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-386-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-386-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Equilyze (Ben Sloan, Thomas Lowry, Cameron Worbey and Simon White)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4605\" data-id=\"4605\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-354-1-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-354-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-354-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-354-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-354-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-354-1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-354-1-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">IGKICKZ (Alexander McComb)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4610\" data-id=\"4610\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-229-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-229-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-229-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-229-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-229-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-229-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-229-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">ProxiPulse (Barry Herron, Brian Conway and Jack Fitzpatrick)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4613\" data-id=\"4613\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-323-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-323-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-323-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-323-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-323-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-323-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-323-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Rephobia (Liam Harte)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4608\" data-id=\"4608\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-65-1-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-65-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-65-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-65-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-65-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-65-1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-65-1-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\"> SK Engineering and Calibration Ltd. (Shane Kavanagh)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4604\" data-id=\"4604\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-267-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-267-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-267-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-267-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-267-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-267-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-267-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">The Conscious Creator Initiative (Chloe McGurk, Rebecca Connolly, Sophie Bates and Cara Jeffery)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4616\" data-id=\"4616\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-144-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-144-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-144-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-144-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-144-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-144-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-144-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">TorqueStep (Joel McIntyre)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4607\" data-id=\"4607\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-90-1-683x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-90-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-90-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-90-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-90-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-90-1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-90-1-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Tuition Space (Kirsty Graham)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-16-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4601\" style=\"width:768px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-16-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-16-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-16-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-16-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The 2025 Dragons&#8217; Den Judges<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Our finalists pitched their ideas to a line-up of business leaders including John McKee, Managing Director of Linkubator, Kirsty Dillon, Commercial Manager at MCS Group, Paul Eastwood, a Partner in the Commercial team at Tughans, Eoin McMullan, Partner at Hill Vellacott, and Anne Dornan, who supports the development of the Queen\u2019s spin-out portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a highly competitive finale, the winners were announced as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1st Place: Benchmark Sports<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-4594\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-473-1024x683.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-473-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-473-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-473-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-473-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-473-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a312,500 was awarded to Brian Conway &amp; Aidan McGeary for Benchmark Sports, a sports coaching and performance platform that provides cutting-edge technology and real-world coaching expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2nd Place: Equilyze<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#aaa1a0\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-4596\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-481-scaled.jpg\" style=\"object-position:46% 17%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"46% 17%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-481-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-481-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-481-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-481-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-481-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-481-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a37,500 was awarded to Equilyze by Ben Sloan, Simon White, Thomas Lowry &amp; Cameron Worbey, for the Smart Numnah which is to revolutionize equestrian training by tackling rider asymmetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3rd Place: Rephobia<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-4598\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-486-683x1024.jpg\" style=\"object-position:28% 39%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"28% 39%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-486-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-486-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-486-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-486-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-486-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-486-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a35,000 was awarded to Rephobia by Liam Harte, a therapist-led VR exposure therapy experience, seamlessly integrated into private practices, NHS mental health services and therapy clinics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"4600\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-259-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-259-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-259-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-259-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-259-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-259-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-259-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"4599\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-302-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-302-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-302-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-302-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-302-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-302-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-302-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Conscious Creator Initiative and Canguard each received spot prizes of \u00a31,000 for their pitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since its inception, QUB Dragons\u2019 Den has been a launchpad for students at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey, many of whom have gone on to find&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/2024\/01\/26\/top-six-success-stories-from-qub-dragons-den\/\">great success<\/a>&nbsp;with their business idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>QUB Dragon\u2019s Den will return in 2026. Find out how else SU Enterprise can support your business idea and entrepreneurial skills <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qubsu.org\/EnterpriseSU\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.qubsu.org\/EnterpriseSU\/\">here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Thursday 3rd&nbsp;April, 13 finalists entered the QUB Dragons\u2019 Den for a chance at winning a share of the \u00a325,000 prize pot. The moment was a culmination of months of hard work by our finalists who have spent many hours refining their pitches in preparation of meeting meet the Dragons. This highly sought-after competition, facilitated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,74,299,52,66],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4582","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-competitions","8":"category-dragons-den","9":"category-student-businesses","10":"category-student-life","11":"category-upskilling-opportunities","12":"czr-hentry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/04\/PIC-206-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6B2ST-1bU","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4582"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4631,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4582\/revisions\/4631"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}