Pupils from Southwark College have won an entrepreneurial award which will see them get mentoring and funding to make their business idea a reality.
The students were named winners of the Schools and Colleges category of the Big Idea Challenge on Wednesday May 4.
Their idea was a coffee shop which, equipped with a green screen, would allow customers to record and share their experience on social media in an eye-catching way.
Southwark College team member Ishaq said: “I was mind blown when our group was announced as the Grand Champion in the competition. I could not believe it.
“Winning has made me and my team excited for the future. We are thrilled and determined to make our business a reality.”
Each team member will get mentoring from a start-up expert at Natwest, and a £100 voucher of their choice.
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The students have already attended a bootcamp, also organised by Natwest, where they learned about business plans, marketing and financial planning.
The young business brains chose to put their coffee shop, INK, in the “rapidly developing area” of Elephant and Castle.
The event, now in its 9th year, was organised by London Metropolitan University’s business incubator, named Accelerator.
A business incubator is an organisation that gives start-ups early-stage business advice and support.
Simon Boot, Head of Accelerator, said: “The Big Idea Challenge had such a high calibre of entries this year.
“The judges had a tough job on their hands choosing the winners from such a strong cohort. The variety of ideas put forward really highlight the diversity and creativity of London Met’s community.”
The runner up in the schools category was ‘Magic Candles’, and the second runner up was ‘The Fantasies’, an app that reduced social anxiety in young people through a safe virtual reality environment.
