THE Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE)’s annual New Ventures competition launches today with a top prize of £10,000 for enterprising students and graduates.
The business competition, sponsored by Bank of Scotland, is aimed at students and recent graduates from Scottish Universities and Colleges with a well-developed idea or an early stage business.
They will be asked to submit a business plan as part of their entry, and face a tough grilling from a panel of competition judges drawn from academia and local businesses.
Commenting on the launch, Fiona Godsman, CEO of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise, said: “New Ventures is our toughest competition and I am always extremely impressed with the high quality of the entries.
“The standard increases every year; a testament to the quality of support available to student entrepreneurs, not just from SIE’s own fantastic team of advisors, but also from their educational institutions and the wider Scottish entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“The new sponsorship from Bank of Scotland means we can offer bigger cash prizes that will allow the winners to accelerate their business start-up plans. Like our enterprising students, we can’t wait to get started.”
The winner of the 2012-2013 New Ventures competition was Amanda Jack, a final year student at Glasgow Caledonian University. Amanda won with Mediscot Ltd and their first product ‘Plasta Master’, an innovative liquid solution for safely removing plaster-casts and minimising patient stress. Following graduation, Amanda has continued to run Mediscot and has more products in development.
The New Ventures competition officially opens for entries today, 28th October 2013. Full information on how to enter can be found on www.sie.ac.uk/newventures
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Photo:
Amanda Jack receives the top prize for New Ventures 2012-13 at the SIE Student Enterprise Summit at the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh on 13 March 2013. Pictured with Fiona Godsman, CEO of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise.
For press enquiries, please contact:
Scott McKellar, Marketing Communications Manager
Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE), Top Floor, 11 Southpark Terrace, Glasgow, G12 8LG
Tel: 0141 330 8788 Email: s.mckellar@sie.ac.uk
Notes to editor
1. Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE):
The Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) is a national organisation for promoting and supporting enterprise and entrepreneurship in Scotland’s universities and colleges. Working closely with local institutions, SIE gives students the opportunity to develop enterprise skills and the chance to start their own business. It does this through business competitions, workshops and enterprise activities. SIE also runs an annual Student Enterprise Summit, with high-profile speakers drawn from Scotland’s successful entrepreneurs.
www.sie.ac.uk
2. New Ventures competition
SIE’s New Ventures competition is an annual business competition open to students and graduates (up to two years) from Scottish universities and colleges. The competition is designed for well-developed business ideas or early stage businesses which have already launched. Entrants are asked to supply a business plan as part of their entry and will face a tough panel of judges composed of business experts and members the local enterprise community. This year the competition is sponsored by Bank of Scotland, with a top prize of £10,000.
Previous winners include:
Aldo Kahane, (Edinburgh College of Art), 1ina100
Amanda Jack, (Glasgow Caledonian University), Medi-Scot Ltd
Blair Bowman, (Aberdeen University), World Whisky Day
Craig Johnstone, (University of Strathclyde), Giglets
Flaminia Cavallo, (University of Edinburgh), Theorymine
Paolo Di Prodi, (University of Glasgow), Robomotic Limited
www.sie.ac.uk/newventures
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Contact: Scott McKellar
Phone: 01413308793
Email: s.mckellar@sie.ac.uk
Website: http://www.sie.ac.uk
