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Future entrepreneurs showcase innovations at Oxford Brookes Business School

Students pitching event in progress

On Thursday 1 May, Oxford Brookes Business School students studying the Entrepreneurial Business Management module presented their ‘Dragons Den’ style pitches to the ‘Investors Panels’.

This year, 200 students presented 33 businesses to 7 panels with 37 entrepreneurs, investors, and colleagues as judges.

Entrepreneurial Business Management is a double credit honours module that runs over two semesters. It is a compulsory capstone for our Business, Enterprise, and Entrepreneurship students, and an optional module for Business and Management, International Business and Management, Business and Marketing Management, Business and Finance, and Events Management. The module is taught by Junean Cramp, John Mulcahy, Charlotte Livingston, and Jasraj Singh.

Students have gone through an extended process of ideation and iteration to prepare an initial business concept pitch individually, form groups of founders and selected a business concept to progress, conduct market analysis which demanded ‘getting out of the building’ and talking to customers, and a fully costed Business Concept Evaluation (Plan), leading now to the presentation of their final proposal.

The Student teams, which consisted of 5-6 students in each team, presented their venture ideas to the panel as prospective investors. They had 10 minutes to pitch after which the tutor opened the floor to questions for a further 15 minutes.

Investors panel

There were 7 panels running simultaneously and the panels were made up of:

  • Adrian Carne, founder of Yeo Valley and Non-Executive Director
  • Adrienne Bloch, Managing Director Bloch Solutions Ltd
  • Charlotte Livingston, Teaching Team and Estate Strategy/Strategic Change Facilitator
  • Chris Newall, Managing Director Bevisol
  • Cliff Spolander, Founder Business By Design
  • Clive Wildish, Principal Lecturer in Business and Management
  • Dietmar Walter, Chair, Non-Executive Director, Growth Advisor
  • Fanzi Down, Entrepreneur in Residence and Commercial Director DPS Confectionary
  • Garry Adamson, COO Gladstone Software and ex-Teaching Team
  • Gary Frank, Former Entrepreneur in Residence and ex-Teaching Team
  • Grant Hayward, Director of OSEP
  • Dr. Greg Kapusinski, Senior Lecturer (Hospitality Management)
  • Howard Feather, Business Start-Up Manager (Enterprise Support)
  • Dr. Husni Kharouf, Associate Dean – Undergraduate
  • James Ashley Carter, Clarion Events (EBM Alumni)
  • Jasraj Singh, Teaching Team and CEO/Founder Wisard and Fantastea
  • Dr.Jeremy Zwiegelaar, Extended Teaching Team
  • John Mulcahy, Teaching Team and Investor
  • Julian Jowitt, CEO Forefront AHU
  • Junean Cramp, Teaching Team
  • Kate Maguire, Extended Teaching Team
  • Kulbir Kandhola, Business Angel
  • Lee Osborne, Creative Director at Osborne Creative Britain
  • Lisa Hale, Associate Dean, Student Experience and Programme Lead, Pathways
  • Programmes
  • Dr. Louisa Lapworth, Extended Teaching Team
  • Matthew Minett, Business Development and Marketing Associate for Lola Cars (EBM
  • Alumni)
  • Mary Neale, Founder Archway Heritage
  • Mim Syamim Sirajudin, Business Start-Up Advisor (Enterprise Support) (EBM
  • Alumni)
  • Prof. Nick Wilton, Dean, Oxford Brookes Business School
  • Paul Thorley, Extended Teaching Team
  • Ross Brien, Regional Director Hamptons International
  • Ross Jordan, Teaching Team and Investor
  • Sarah Rogers, Lecturer and Strategic Advisor
  • Dr. Shelley Beck, Extended Teaching Team
  • Simon Herring, CEO Simon Herring Farms
  • Stuart King, Public Health Innovator
  • Tom Welch, CEO of Transforming Learning Group
  • Unai Ledesma Gorostizaga, Business Start-Up Advisor (Enterprise Support)

The role of the judges was to pose reasonably ‘tough’ questions and to respond to any requests for finance. Students were allowed the freedom to develop a business venture plan in a business area of their own choice. The teams identified early on the nature of investment required and therefore the nature of their audience (e.g. some were possibly self- funding and just looking for advice).

The marking criteria for the pitch were:

  • Establishing and pursuing presentation objectives
  • Presenting a coherent and persuasive argument
  • Performing effectively as a venture team / member of a team

The event was organised by Ross Jordan who is the Module Leader for EBM and Programme Lead for the Business and Management undergraduate programmes, 

Ross said, “For both staff and students, this was an extremely valuable opportunity to obtain some expert opinion on their venture proposals and the way that they are presented. It was a fantastic experience for students, staff, and externals, including the networking for investors and students afterward. Our students did a great job and entertained and persuaded our guests of their investability.”

Many of our investors come back year after year and we are grateful to them all. Kulbir Kandhola deserves special mention as this was his 15th successive year supporting our students.