2014 Blueprint winners unveiled
University of Sunderland students and graduates have been finding out if their entrepreneurial flair has earned them a prestigious 2014 Blueprint award.
The judges had a tough task deciding on this year’s most innovative ideas and fledgling businesses, but the winners were finally unveiled at an awards event at National Glass Centre in Sunderland.
They included a mum’s pop-up bridge to protect people, property and livestock during flash flooding; a glass and ceramics student selling high-quality hand-made products online with a charitable benefit; and a communications business dedicated to a young audience.
The Blueprint Business Planning event is an annual business competition that provides a launchpad for student and graduate start-ups and showcases the range of diversity and quality of enterprising talent at the University.
It’s open to current students or any graduates from the last five years with a great idea for a business. Students and graduates who have a business which is in its early stage of trading are also encouraged to enter and showcase their entrepreneurial flair.
The winner and runner up of each award category – Bright Idea, One-to-Watch and Young Business award - were presented with £500 and £250 respectively. In addition, they receive membership and adviser support at The Enterprise Place, a dedicated resource on campus for students and graduates to develop their own business idea.
Vince Robson, Blueprint organiser and University Business Development Manager, said: “Blueprint is now in its 11th year and each year the incredible innovation and entrepreneurship our students and graduates demonstrate exceeds all expectations.
“These awards are the perfect opportunity to showcase the enterprising talent we have here at the University and we’d encourage anyone with a great idea or just starting out to enter these awards.”
Picking up the One-to-Watch award was Deborah Whittle, whose has designed a pop-up bridge to protect people, property and livestock during flash flooding, inspired by a childhood game of building bridges out of plastic crates. The Modular Raised Road is created from plastic crates transformed into a platform and ramps, similar to a mini scaffolding tower, to form a temporary road linked over any distance, which could be used to save lives and aid rescues.
Deborah, an Applied Business Computing student, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic and I’m delighted to win this award. Winning the One-to-Watch award means I can get membership into the Enterprise Place, so that is going to mean the world to my business, having the right support and people around me right at the beginning. It’s just fantastic. It’s also recognition for my idea.”
No strangers to Blueprint, M.A.D Communications last year picked up the One-to-Watch award, and have progressed to pick up the coveted Young Business Award this year.
M.A.D is a forward thinking, creative PR company for creative people. Specialising in PR, social media, and magazine production. Amy Armstrong and Marie Donnelly, University of Sunderland PR Masters students, are behind the company and are as passionate about all things cultural and creative as their clients are.
Amy said: “We are doing a lot of work with clients in Sunderland at the moment, from DJs to bands to the creative sector; it’s for anyone who wants to communicate something to a younger audience.
“It’s going well so far, we have put 100 per cent into this business since winning One-To-Watch last year, which was an amazing platform for us and the connections we made really sparked things off for us.
“To win a Blueprint award again is incredible and demonstrates how much we’ve progressed, we’re both thrilled to be recognised by the judges once again.”
The Bright Idea Award was won by Sophie Vickerson, a glass and ceramics students, who came up with the idea of selling high-quality hand-made items purely online, to high-end stores such as Achica and Debenhams, all made by people attached to a charity. Five per cent of all proceeds would go to these charities.
Sophie said: “I’m so delighted to have won this, I have no business background, and I just had an idea and was so glad someone was listening. The intention is to make this business a reality.”
Sponsoring the Sunderland Futures Awards is the Lear Corporation, a world-leading automotive component company, which has a Sunderland manufacturing plant at Rainton Bridge Industrial Estate.
Jim Casey, Plant Manager said: “Lear Corporation Sunderland is happy and proud to continue supporting the Blueprint award this year continuing on the tradition of the previous three years. It was previously supported under the name Tacle Seating for which Lear Corporation had the majority share holding in the UK.”
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