Student entrepreneurs at Coventry University awarded £15,000 in funding after Dragon’s Den style pitching event
Student entrepreneurs at Coventry University have been awarded a share of £15,000 in funding following the Phoenix+ Start-up Awards Pitching final.
Bix Pettus and Professor Steve Galliford, Vice Provost and Deputy Vice Chancellor – Education at Coventry University
Sponsored by Santander Universities UK, the event saw seven finalists explain their projects to a panel of expert judges in front of a live audience, Dragon’s Den style.
The ideas presented by students included an AI-powered recovery assistant for stroke survivors, an emergency kit to help families during natural disasters and other crises, and a reusable geotextile for cleaning up oil spills.
Students also pitched a mental health support and mentoring service for young people, a videography and photography business producing content for underrepresented creatives, communities and small organizations, and an augmented reality brochure to improve museum experiences with 3D models, animations, and audio.
Previous winners of the competition who had benefited from start-up funding also gave talks at the event.
A business called MetaTray was awarded £5,000 - the largest investment on the day - to support development of its AI-powered offline document and object scanner.
Student Bix Pettus, who pitched the idea, comments: “It was a great experience to take part in the event and this prize will help me make my dream become a reality. I’m a student so being able to get this money, instead of having to attract investors over a long period of time, gives me a great chance to make progress quickly - it’s going to make a real difference.
“I found the experience of doing the pitch really rewarding. I did my presentation and then answered questions and I think the judges were really impressed as they gave me a perfect score.”
Sheena Penney, Group Head of Enhancing Futures, at Coventry University adds: “Phoenix + seeks to empower our students, helping them to recognise their talents which in turn instils a deep sense of inner confidence. Many young individuals considering a career in enterprise face an exciting but often challenging future and Phoenix +, aligned with the innovative, high-quality learning offered across the Group, is part of our commitment to creating better futures for students.
“Events like this one are so important and give students opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial skills and be awarded funds to support the start of their enterprise journey. We couldn’t run these events without the support of Santander and the funding partnership we have with them.”
Phoenix+ is a free program open to all students at Coventry city centre campus. It also offers support to help students reach their full potential with skills assessments, live events, workshops, and one-to-one coaching.
