IDEAFEST Student Business Idea Competition

With cash prizes up to £1,000 and expert mentoring up for grabs, students who enter IDEAFEST have the opportunity to present their business ideas and gain support that could lead to the business idea being commercialised. You don't need prior knowledge of entrepreneurship or business experience to enter IDEAFEST - all that's required is a business idea and genuine passion to develop the business idea.

IDEAFEST comprises of two rounds, with the first round involving submitting your idea to a panel of judges. The best entries will move onto the second round, where students get the chance to pitch their idea to the judging panel in front of a live audience.

Students can enter IDEAFEST either on their own or as part of a team. Prior to submitting an entry, it's recommended that students book an appointment at the Business Idea and Start-Up Clinic to help develop their idea. Students can book an appointment via MyJobsOnline.

Students interested to entry IDEAFEST should diarise these dates and look out for further details and the link to download the entry form.

The entry form will be available to download on 12 February 2025.

IDEAFEST 2024, the final of which was held on 24 April 2024, was won by William Haresceugh with Aimful, an AI-powered coaching app for employee personal development, offering 24/7 on-demand access to coaching sessions. William collected £1,000 for winning the Best Business Idea category.

The cash prize of £1,000 for the Best Innovative Idea was also won by William, whilst the Best Business Idea for China categories and a bursary of £3,000 was awarded to the team which developed Senspore, a proptech business that is developing a mould detection device made from PLA recycled plastic.

This is what Will had said about their experiences of participating at the final of IDEAFEST:

“Participating in IDEAFEST 2024 has been an Incredible experience. The mentorship and support that's been provided by the Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship (HCFE) has been above and beyond. Not only did this support enable Aimful to win the awards for both 'Best Overall Idea' & 'Best Innovative Idea', but it also helped facilitate the commercialisation of Aimful.”

Alana Rodrigues speaking on behalf of the Senspore team said: "Being recognised at IDEAFEST is a testament to the hard work of our team. We're thrilled to continue innovating and tackling challenges in the real estate industry."

Previous winners have echoed the words of William and Alana:

Brandon Bradford winner of IDEAFEST 2023 with Investor Pro Academy said: "My business has been in the works for 12 months and I'm now ready to launch. I'm grateful for the chance to pitch and pleased the judges saw the potential in the idea."

Shlok Maheshwari, IDEAFEST 2022 winner and BA Entrepreneurship student: "IDEAFEST was a good way to develop and explore the possibilities of building a business idea. Winning just made it all the sweeter."

Josh Moden, IDEAFEST 2021 winner and BA Entrepreneurship and Management student: "I entered IDEAFEST as I felt it was a way to show what I had accomplished through my entrepreneurial business ventures, as well as giving me a chance to test out my presentation skills in front of an expert audience. I found the whole experience to be very well executed and a great help in terms of planning and carrying out a great presentation. It was great to be a part of the process and I would definitely recommend anyone who is thinking of entering the competition to do so.

Lucas Cimino, IDEAFEST 2020 winner and BA Entrepreneurship and Management student: "I'm honoured - IDEAFEST is a great competition. The process to practice pitching gives students skills they can use forever."

Read the full news release of the IDEAFEST 2024 Final

IDEAFEST is kindly sponsored by Savio Kwan, the former President and COO of Alibaba, Southern Communications Group and Healthcare Capital Partners.