Herts Team Wins National Young Enterprise UK Award for Business Pitch
Students from the Hertfordshire Business School (HBS) at the University of Hertfordshire triumphed at the Young Enterprise UK national finals, hosted by Loughborough College. Competing against top institutions, a Herts team clinched the 'Best Pitch Deck' award.
Billionaire Mindshift – Best Pitch Deck Winner
Saif Ullah, a Graduate MBA student from Pakistan, won for his app, Billionaire MindShift, which tackles digital overload with affirmations and guided meditations. The innovative concept came to Saif after overcoming his own anxiety and mental health challenges as a result of digital overload. Realising how much better not only his mental health was as a result, but also his productivity, he set about developing something that would help other people to control screen time and encourage more positivity in everyday life and work.
He said, "This project embodies my dedication to improving mental health through technology. A huge thank you to the University of Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, University of Hertfordshire Business Zone and Radhika Srinivasan (my Young Enterprise Business Mentor) for their support and belief in this venture. This opportunity is a stepping stone towards bringing Billionaire MindShift to a wider audience and making a tangible impact.”
Dr. Neil Greenley, MBA Director, praised Saif: "Saif’s innovative approach to mental wellness exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit we nurture at HBS. His success highlights the tangible impact of combining our ground-breaking programmes with proven experiential learning exemplified by Young Enterprise."
Hertfordshire Business School Young Enterprise Awards
Before the national finals, HBS held its own Young Enterprise Awards 2024. Billionaire Mindshift and Cloud Fit emerged victorious among nine competing teams. Chris Telesford, founder of Cloud Fit, won Young Enterprise UK Young Startup of the Year for his inclusive fitness platform. Plate It Right, focusing on healthy food delivery in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was the runner-up, founded by MSc International Business students Manusha Gunasekara and Oluchukwu Nwankwo. All three companies went on to represent Herts at the Young Enterprise national finals.
Dr Greenley added: “We're very excited as this was our first prize at this prestigious national competition. The whole exercise has been a great showcase of our students’ entrepreneurial activities, and we are eager to spread the word about the value of this experiential learning around the rest of the school, university and the sector.”
Herts is currently the only higher education institute offering the Young Enterprise Start-up experience to international students and as part of their MBA studies.
Saif and Chris received funding for the development of their businesses through a Fast-Track grant from the University’s Enterprise Fund. The grant from Santander Universities UK supports the fund.