Students from Inverness announced as winners at UHI Business Competition
Students from Inverness have been announced as winners at the annual UHI Business Competition 2024.
The awards ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 22 at the UHI Inverness campus. It is organised by CREATE, the Highlands and Islands Hub for Enterprise and Innovation, based at the Centre for Living Sustainability.
With funding support from the University Innovation Fund from the Scottish Funding Council, the competition aims to discover and support enterprising people, helping them take their first steps in starting their own business. Since the competition began in 2006, it has awarded £108,000 in prize money.
This year the competition attracted 78 entries from students across the UHI partnership, as well as entrepreneurs living in the Highlands and Islands, Moray, Perthshire and Argyll. The total prize fund was £8,000, with ten winners each receiving a prize from one of the sponsors.
Jessica Lake from Inverness won the youth entrepreneurship award, winning £500 prize money.
Her idea, ‘Petbank Cafe’ is a place where owners and their pets can have a dining experience together while helping others through their struggles.
Fernando Nuno Lopez an HND Forestry student at UHI Inverness won the best use of technology award with a £500 price.
His idea is to provide forestry and geomatic services by combining the use of traditional survey methods with remote sensing, using drone technology and new software that integrates AI and data analytics engines to provide customers with quality services with accurate data.
Professor Neil Simco, Deputy Principal Academic and Research at UHI, who opened the awards ceremony said: “One of the reasons UHI exists is to make a difference, and we are pleased to support people who have the skills, energy, and commitment to take forward business ideas that make that difference across our regions. This competition shows that whoever you are, wherever you are, and whatever age you’re at, if you want to, you can be entrepreneurial.”
The keynote speaker was Debbie Strang, director and chief operating officer of SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst, Shetland.
She told the finalists: “Congratulations everybody. It’s fantastic that you have seized this opportunity. Work hard and stay determined, don't become derailed, keep focused, and remember that people are key. It’s also important to celebrate your achievements. And keep going!”
This year’s judges were Màiri Macdonald, Local Enterprise Manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland; Gillian McGill, Talent Acquisition Manager at Skillfluence and Founders360, Mark Sutherland, Head of Highlands and Islands Regional Engagement for Techscaler and CodeBase, and Rojan Kumar Subramani, co-founder and CEO of DigiTechtive and member of the board of management of UHI Inverness.
Rojan Kumar Subramani said: “It is an honour for me to have been invited to join the panel of judges. We were impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation shown by all the finalists and winners.
“As a mentor and business adviser, I aim to inspire and introduce social entrepreneurs to the world of business. I am passionate about using technology to enhance the Scottish Highlands, support social impact, and create employment opportunities for young people. Therefore, I will continue supporting the winners and finalists and look forward to seeing these ideas continue to grow. Thank you to Roz Thomas and Helen Miller from the CREATE team who have gone the extra mile again this year to make this wonderful event.”
Màiri MacDonald said: “It’s a pleasure to be involved in the UHI Business Competition once again. We had the difficult task of shortlisting 78 applications down to 15 finalists.
“This competition really encompasses some of the very best innovation in the North of Scotland, and it was great to see the diversity of thought and the true drive behind the ideas. Well done to all the finalists on your pitches, and for putting your ideas forward in the first instance. A huge congratulations to all the winners.”
Gillian McGill said: “I’m delighted to have been invited back to review this year’s applications alongside my fellow judges. The level of creative thinking, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit has been incredibly impressive. I was excited to hear the final presentations and I’m hopeful that we will see some of the applicants on IMPACT30 this September, as HIE’s fully funded programme can provide the essential tools, skills, knowledge and mentorship required to help grow their businesses.”
Mark Sutherland said: "As a former student and lecturer of UHI, it's been an absolute pleasure to be a part of the judging panel for the first time this year. It's exciting, but not surprising, to see so much innovation and creativity in the Highlands and Islands, and the students, staff and community of UHI have been no different in their quality of problem solving. Social impact was at the heart of most of the applications, and it's wonderful to see such a desire for a fair and just society, locally and globally, across a huge range of industry sectors. Given my role delivering Techscaler, (Scottish Government funded entrepreneurial support for founders building software products or product based businesses with large software components across the region), it was also wonderful to see so many tech based entries, embracing the fourth industrial revolution in innovative ways. I'm looking forward to the next stage of the finalists’ business adventure and in helping support them along the way"