Students from The University of West London and North London Collegiate School set up their stands and gave presentations about their Young Enterprise start-up businesses at the University of West London’s Weston Hall in an evening brimming with talent. Six businesses took part, with products ranging from an innovative phone case to matte lipsticks. The competitors, who set up their companies with the support of GE Capital, displayed their stands to guests and the four judges: UWL academics Dr Maddie Ohl and Dr Amelia Au-Yeung, Students’ Union Vice-President Olivia Adekunle, and Zoe Horwood from GE Capital.
After giving their presentations to the audience, the budding entrepreneurs and their guests listened to an inspiring speech from Zoe Jackson of Living the Dream. She described how she had applied for a loan as a teenager to involve local young people in Hertfordshire in performing arts, and how her business had grown since then to include a professional dance company, a performing arts school and a charity, the Dream Foundation.
The Team Work Award went to Pentura for their children’s ink pens, while Just N Case won the Innovative Product Award for their phone case with a storage space for cards and cash. Melanin Cosmetics from the University of West London picked up an award for Best Presentation.
UWL’s All Things Moroccan were triumphant in three categories – Best Trade Stand, Company of the Year and Businesswoman of the Year, won by Nadia Jhilou. Third year advertising student Nadia was presented with her award by last year’s winner Buki Ajimobi, who motivated the audience with the story of her business, which started off with her braiding people’s hair as a young teenager.
On receiving her award, Nadia said, “I am so happy to have been awarded Businesswoman of the Year. All Things Moroccan is very important to me, given my Moroccan heritage, and we have plans to make the business even bigger in future, with a book and a wider product range.”
