The entrepreneurial passion and dedication from King's students, staff and alumni in launching innovative ventures was truly remarkable. The panel of judges were impressed by the calibre of presentations, the founders' adeptness in validating and refining their concepts, and the breadth of challenges tackled by the teams. We witnessed a very diverse group of individuals pitching ideas addressing issues spanning mental health, climate change, agriculture, and logistics. It was truly inspiring.
Farhan Lalji (Chief Value Adder at LTV Capital and Tech in Residence at the Entrepreneurship Institute)
12 March 2024
Idea Factory Competition 2024 winners announced
10 finalists competed in the Idea Factory Pitch Off final for the chance to be crowned this year’s winners.
A full house gathered in the Exchange to watch our 10 Idea Factory 2024 competition finalists pitch their innovative solutions to address problems across mental health, fast fashion, climate change and community engagement.
3-minute pitches were followed by questions from our judging panel, featuring: Dr Anna Rebmann (Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship, King's Business School), Hayley Collen (Director at Epiphron Limited) and Farhan Lalji (Chief Value Adder at LTV Capital and Tech in Residence at the Entrepreneurship Institute).
Selected from the 10 finalists, the winners are:
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1st Place (£3,500)
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Verified by Maudsley
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Founded by Chris Attoe, staff member (Institute of Psychiatry Psychology & Neuroscience)
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2nd Place (£2,500)
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Co-founded by Issey Gladston, King's Alumna (Faculty of Arts & Humanities)
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3rd Place (£2,000)
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Founded by Jas Wilks, King's Alumna (King's Business School)
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The 10 finalists were:
|
Finalist |
Venture |
Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| Arjun S Khanna | Blitzo | BSc Computer Science Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences |
| Beod Wilson | StenoGold | MSc Artificial Intelligence Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences |
| Chris Attoe | Verified by Maudsley | Staff Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience |
| Clarice Ng | GROWN | MSc Strategic Entrepreneurship & Innovation King's Business School |
| Issey Gladston | anothermode | BA Liberal Arts Faculty of Arts & Humanities |
| Jas Wilks | Rejazz | MSc Strategic Entrepreneurship & Innovation King's Business School |
| Nasira Bukhari | Neuromotive | MSc Neuroscience Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience |
| Salpie Nowinski | Sundial | PhD in Cancer Bioinformatics Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine |
| Syukie (Xinyi) Zhang | Lyte | BA Liberal Arts and MA Philosophy Faculty of Arts & Humanities |
| Tony Tanguy Lamy | WildPath | MSc Strategic Entrepreneurship & Innovation King's Business School |
All finalists will receive three 1:1 mentoring sessions with our Experts in Residence. Alongside funding to further develop their ideas, the winners will also receive 1:1 mentoring with our Experts-in-Residence and Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Anthony Paine.
Whilst the judge's deliberated their decisions, the audience heard from the founders of ARENA, last year's second runner up and People's Choice Award winners. Co-founders Yassin Ali (Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy) and Ayani Mohamud shared updates on their journey since winning last year.
Idea Factory is the Entrepreneurship Institute’s flagship idea generation competition. Each year, we put the call out for the biggest, brightest and best ideas across the university and through a series of workshops, give our contestants the skills they need to make their ideas viable and scalable through entrepreneurial skills.
In preparation for the Pitch Off final, teams were invited to attend workshops to support them to develop their pitching skills.
If you have a potential idea for a business, you can:
- Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to be the first to hear about entrepreneurial opportunities like Idea Factory.
- Book an Idea Feedback Session with a member of the Entrepreneurship Institute team to share detail and receive feedback on next steps.
- Join the Women Entrepreneurs Network, a community of King’s students, alumni and staff that supports idea and entrepreneurial skills development for founders identifying as female or non-binary.
Photo credit: Nathan Clarke Photography.
