Lauren Bell, Founder of Cosi Care
Winning £5,000 in the Commercial category was Lauren Bell, a Product Design graduate and founder of Cosi Care, a hand-held tool specifically designed to offer instant relief to children suffering with Eczema. Lauren has been developing her business at the Central Research Laboratory and with the money she has received from the Venture Competition, she will be able to secure additional funding and begin prototype refinement.
Clara Hardy, Albert Marifa i Martinez and the Oimo team
Secondly, receiving £3,000 in the Social Impact category was Clara Hardy, Business Management and Marketing final year and Albert Martinez, Industrial Design and Technology graduate plus their team for their business idea Oimo. The team began working on their business idea during their degree developing the Oimo Can Holder, a biodegradable, edible and adaptable alternative to plastic packaging helping to reduce plastic waste and environmental damage.
Product Design student, Ben Harvey
The final winner was Ben Harvey, a Product Design student, receiving £2,000 to develop his Drinkware Detection business further. Ben has been working on developing paper drinking straws and glassware that can indicate any date rape drug currently on the market. He said that the “Venture Competition is a fantastic opportunity” and encourages all entrepreneur enthusiasts to apply!