Student entrepreneurs create businesses for 'Dragons' Den' competition 2023

On Tuesday, 7 March 2023, undergraduate students specialising in Real Estate and Planning participated in a business idea competition, styled after the renowned 'Dragon's Den.' This engaging event formed an integral part of the Managing Change in the Real Estate Sector module (RE2MCRE) convened by Dr Matteo Borghi, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Henley Business School.

The event – Dragons’ Den 2023

Students were split into 21 entrepreneurial teams and set the challenge of developing an innovative business idea. The objective was to create a unique selling proposition that could solve a real-world problem and to utilise disruptive technologies to revolutionise existing practices in the real estate sector.

Over six months, these teams embarked on a transformative journey that culminated in the presentation of their disruptive business concepts. A panel of industry experts, Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship members and alumni known as the 'Dragons' were assembled to evaluate and provide feedback on the students' ideas.

Following the conclusion of the student's presentations, all the entrepreneurial teams assembled for the closing award ceremony and feedback session. Fiona Brownfoot, Lottie Watts, and Sammy Pahal, representing the three Dragons’ teams, collectively provided their insights and commentary.

Winning teams

• Bleatz by Libby Evans, Alys Hemmings, Zak Imran, Blanche Jarvis Monnot, Edward Piper, and Tom Porter.

• Made Trade by Emily Cann, Aislin Davies, Liam Elston, Fin Lewis and Alexander Martin.

• MetaMeet by Pavlos Constantinou, Annabel Dalby, Tim De Rohan, Osian Gatehouse, and Amelia Tusha.

• PROPCV by George Ghai, Alex Hunt, Charmaine Miguel, Sophia Moore, Soraia Nogueira Santos and Orestis Oxynos.

Matthew Partridge, Dragon 2023 commented:

“Another superb Dragon's Den event at Henley Business School. These students are going to go into businesses over the next couple of years and they will all need to put forward new ideas and stand up to scrutiny. This Dragon's Den element of their degree is ideal preparation for what is to come. There are undoubtedly some very entrepreneurial students that will go on to do some great things in our industry.”

As a final remark after the event, Dr Borghi said:

“Witnessing the impressive level of dedication, passion, and enthusiasm demonstrated by our students during the event has been truly inspiring. Their remarkable commitment to excellence was duly recognised by the Dragons, making this year's Dragons' Den yet another resounding success. This is a unique challenge in the curriculum, and I am sincerely grateful to our students for their exceptional efforts and the Dragons for their invaluable contribution to the event's triumph”