Winners of FUEL 2020 Announced

The FUEL Awards programme 2020 concluded on 26th November with a live pitching event hosted during Thrive Festival.

The virtual event saw 17 entrepreneurs from the FUEL programme pitch their business ideas in front of a live audience and panel of esteemed judges in hopes of getting their hands on £2000 funding to support the growth and scaling of their ventures. All 17 pitchers have spent the past 8 weeks on the FUEL Awards programme, a business scale up programme sponsored by Santander Universities and facilitated by Mike Foster of The Entrepreneurs Mentor. Across the past few months, attendees of the programme have tuned in to live webinars, and weekly sessions where they have gained valuable mentoring to take their business to the next level.

On the night, we saw 138 people from across the globe tune in to support our entrepreneurs, along with our four expert judges:

• Lydiah Igweh, Director of Enterprise Support

• Simon Poulter, Relationship Manager for South East Santander Universities

• Fiona Minnet,  Brookes Alumna & Founder of Boss Your PR

• Chris Anandan,  Oxford Brookes Alumni, Associate Lecturer, and Start-Up Media Consultant

The judges granted 10 FUEL Award prizes, each of £2000,  on the night to the following businesses:

Alice Horwood, Business and Management
Reason to Rent is a sustainable and affordable clothing rental subscription service.

Daniel Ogunseye + Steve Hill
AFWS Clothing Ltd aims to explore the wonders of African and Caribbean Culture as well as history through clothing and apparel.

Dionne Spencer, Doctor of Coaching and Mentoring
To support universities through the facilitation of coaching to increase continuation rates and reduce the degree awarding gap which disproportionately affects different student groups.

Duray Pretorius, Sports and Exercise Science
A specialist SEO agency supporting the digital growth of Black, POC and Allied businesses, leveraging enterprise AI technology and SEO expertise to help clients increase market share.

Finn Stovold, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
TheRide UK, is a website focusing on car accessories. This website will provide the viewer with the access and guidance they never had, with futuristic and innovative technology.

Jasraj Singh, Marketing and Brand Management
WeYouChain is a simpler, securer and smarter business efficiency tool which helps to audit and comply with laws like GDPR.

Kate Brown, MSc Sustainable Building, Performance and Design
FAB-HAB Project’s mission is to transform the way homes are designed and built, to minimise environmental impact and maximise social impact.

Lisa Venables, BSc Accountancy and Finance
Holistic Horses is a specialist coaching course taking a holistic approach to building the confidence of riders so they enjoy their horse by overcoming their fears.

Percy Moore & Jaimie McIntosh, International Business
An online gateway for  sustainable shopping allowing people a space to discover upcoming brands, learn about sustainable living, and change the tide against fast fashion retail.

Tanya Nyadzayo, Economics, Politics and International Relations
Her Care is a website/app service which connects women to health and well-being professionals through same-day video-consultations.

On the night, Duray Pretorious’ team Viaduct Generation walked away with the People’s Choice prize, which saw the live audience vote for their favourite pitch of the night. They received a package of business support including an Enterprise nation membership for all team members. 

All those who were not awarded funding on the night have been assigned a mentor who they will be able to work with over the next few months in order to improve their pitches to submit again next semester.

If you want the opportunity to pitch next semester, join our FUEL Awards Programme 2021. Find out more and apply now!