Celebrating Entrepreneurial Talent with the Venture Further Awards 2024

The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre is excited to announce the finalists for Venture Further Awards 2024, the UK’s leading university-led start-up competition, with applications open for all current students and recent graduates at The University of Manchester.

The Venture Further Awards are dedicated to identifying and nurturing innovative business proposals that showcase the greatest potential for success – contributing to economic growth, social progress and sustainability. The competition spans across five categories: Healthcare, Services, Technology, Environment, and Social.

The annual competition, offering a substantial £100,000 prize fund, has seen a record-breaking number of 143 applications this year, marking a 34% increase from the previous year, showcasing a diverse range of innovative, research-informed and disruptive business ideas.

In the Environment category, we have finalists presenting various sustainable solutions. Nayab Raza's ALGAVERSE proposes low-cost, microalgae-based biomass biofertilizers for agricultural lands. OptiSpark, pitched by Timothy Capper, aims to use buildings as energy storage units. Kieron O'Sullivan's ReMake Materials is a marketplace platform connecting material suppliers with users needing leftover stock materials. Josiah Edebiri's UrbanWatt offers state-of-the-art charging stations in urban areas for low-power electric vehicles.

The Healthcare category sees innovations in medical technology and treatments. Liam Johnson's MouseAble presents a method of recording ECGs from free-moving mice without surgical implants. Steven Mayers' Zeus Biologics Ltd plans to manufacture recombinant proteins for the research market. Joel Yupanqui Mieles's biomedical engineering business offers innovative solutions for repairing and enhancing damaged skin tissues post-tattooing. Airyn by Tunde Oremulé aims to revolutionise rhinitis treatment.

The Services category features ideas targeting a wide range of sectors. Moradeke Orekoya's Skinpli plans to revolutionise the African skincare landscape with telemedicine, personalised skincare, expert guidance, and community engagement. Xiang Zheng's PurFetch is a one-stop mobile app that brings pets and pet owners together. Subodh Agarwal's TFM Overseas Education Consultants guides Indian students in pursuing master's degrees abroad. Mark Kashumba's UGAFARM aims to help African communities grow fresh, healthy food using environmentally-friendly farming techniques.

In the Social category, finalists focus on addressing critical global and local social issues. Muhammad Asad Butt's BasicX presents a revolutionary approach to address period poverty and empower women in Pakistan. Cesare Giulio Ardito's I3Italy CIC is a resource hub for Italians in England. Danielle Fatunla's The Onyx Group is a tech-based organisation for black students providing mentorship, consultancy and opportunities. Chanel Ehi-Palmer's hair care brand aims to narrow the 'texture gap' within the hair industry.

The Technology category sees Harvey Lowe's Arcube proposing customised traveller loyalty programs. Grigorii Rodionov's Flashaid is a mobile application designed to revolutionise emergency medical response. Ed Engleback's Altaia is a drone manufacturer focused on creating fully customised high-performance drones at low cost. Jakub Zemek's Aerospace Group 7 offers environmentally friendly drone solutions.

The Venture Further Awards celebrates these entrepreneurial talents and their potential to make a significant impact in their respective fields. The winners will be announced at the Venture Further Awards Dinner on Wednesday, 8 May 2024.

Our winners consistently strive to make a significant impact in their respective fields. Many have leveraged their initial success to grow into larger-scale businesses. For example, Scott Martin's venture, Re:course (AI), from our 2018 cohort, notably secured $4.3 million in seed funding last year. Also from the 2018 winners, Sid Sedhi, founder of 'Specsart', continues to innovate in the eyewear industry. His Bury-based company now ships their products worldwide. Winning the competition, he recalls, was a "turning point for Specsart,[…] one of the most important milestones in our journey".

Most recently, from our 2022 social category winners, we highlight Alternative Football. Co-founded by Beth Barnes, a PhD student from the University’s Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, the Alternative Football League (AF League) is now the North West’s only fully inclusive football league for women, non-binary and transgender individuals.  UK-registered MEC supported startups have received £29.5m in equity fundraising in the last 6 months.

At the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, we are the hub for all entrepreneurial activities for students, recent graduates, and staff at The University of Manchester. Recognising the vital role of entrepreneurial skills in the modern world, our mission is to provide students with abundant opportunities that aid in gaining invaluable experience. This positions them to either secure their desired job or kick-start their own venture.

Beyond our academic programs, we offer a wide array of co-curricular activities. These include bootcamps, competitions, speaker events, workshops, and start-up support programmes. All these are aimed at students who are eager to learn, develop or launch their entrepreneurial journey. Becoming a part of our thriving entrepreneurial community.