Budding entrepreneurs pitch for cash

A 'Dragons Den' style event was held at Nottingham Business School (NBS) last week where eight shortlisted entrepreneurs pitched their ideas to a distinguished panel of judges.

(Getty images)

The panel included Martin Collins, CEO BFS (UK)Ltd; Melanie Currie, Deputy Dean of Nottingham Business School; David Marlow, CEO Nottingham Building Society; Beverley Parr, owner of B&J Parr Ltd; and Kevin Shakesheff, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Science) of the University of Nottingham.

Organised by Nottinghamshire Community Foundation, Nina Dauban, chief executive of the charity, said: “This is our 11th Dragons Den event and we are delighted to find and support so many exciting new businesses in Nottingham. The winners get so much more than a grant as the panel always offers invaluable advice, gifts in kind and some even end up investing in the business."

Winning entries were Jordana Chin with her business Nutri2Go, delivering healthy and nutritious meals around the city, Olivia Swift making maternity wear for her business Lotus Maternity Ltd and Aleksandra Czerwiakowska with her business Cereal Master, an online personalised food store.

Deputy Dean of Nottingham Business School, Melanie Currie, said: “This was a great experience to see some of the innovative businesses and talent that is operating in Nottingham, and I was delighted to be able to offer some support and advice in addition to selecting the winners. It was great to see such enthusiastic pitches with all participants showing passion for their idea. Well done to all of the winners, and good luck to the others for the future”.

Professor Kevin Shakesheff, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Science) of the University of Nottingham, said: “It was a pleasure to be involved in this event because it shows how many fantastic entrepreneurs we have in Nottingham. All the applicants had a passion to succeed and beyond the commercial aspects of their ideas, they also wanted to make a positive difference to the lives of people in Nottingham. The grant winners all have innovative project ideas that address the needs of people in our City.”

Anyone wishing to apply to the Den please visit www.nottscf.org.uk or to to be the next "Dragon" please contact nina@nottscf.org.uk

Notes for editors

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Nottingham Business School is internationally recognised as a business school which combines academic excellence with impact on business and society and is considered amongst the top 1% of the world’s business schools. NBS is also amongst the top 30 UK schools by ranking according to Guardian University League Tables 2018, and in the top 95 European Business Schools as ranked by the FT and amongst the top 20 for both graduate level employability (DLHE) and for student satisfaction (NSS) and as part of NTU holds the TEF Gold award.
It holds international EQUIS, AASCB and EPAS accreditation, and has held 4* overall QS Stars rating since 2013, with 5* in five categories for the quality of its curriculum, teaching, research, business connectivity and international links.
Its MSc in Management has been ranked by the Financial Times as the 93^rd best Master in Management in the world (MiM).
NBS courses are also accredited by all relevant chartered professional bodies.

NBS is the leading business school in Europe for personalised and experiential learning. Each and every one of its 5,500 students has their learning experience increasingly tailored to their aspirations through the use of academic and industry mentors, analytics, and a comprehensive range of personal development and experiential learning opportunities.

A leader in integrating experiential learning into the fabric of all courses at all levels, NBS’ pioneering in-company degrees benefit some 200 students through direct sponsorship by blue-chip companies.
Nottingham Trent University was named University of the Year 2017 at the Times Higher Education Awards and Modern University of the Year in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018.
About Nottinghamshire Community Foundation (NCF)
Based at Pine House B, Ransom Wood Business Park, Southwell Road West, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG21 0JH, Telephone Number: 01623 620202, Charity No: 1069538
NCF provides philanthropy services for individuals, families, companies, charitable trusts and local authorities in Nottingham city and county.
NCF is a local registered charity delivering grant schemes on a not for profit basis, using quality accredited grant giving processes, as approved by the Charity Commission. Experts in their field, NCF provides donors with specialist advice on their grant giving to maximise the value of their donations and ensure the right projects get funded. NCF has given over £25 million away since they begun and are currently running over 25 local funds. NCF is often able to match fund new named funds and offers strategic philanthropy services, such as the Dragons’ Dens, as investment in micro enterprise as well as traditional grant giving.
To find out more visit our website www.nottscf.org.uk