UK startup connects £1.7 billion Bristol student market with the city’s independent businesses
Bristol founded startup stuDex says it is giving independent businesses a new way to reach the city's large but fragmented student market. Its app connects verified university students with local businesses, societies, sports clubs, events and activities.
Since its pilot at UWE Bristol, the platform has grown to more than 1,200 registered users and 33 partners, and the founders are looking to build a significant share of Bristol's student population during the 2026/27 academic year.
With almost 70,000 students across Bristol's two largest universities, the city is a significant market for independent businesses. Reaching that audience can be difficult, particularly for smaller businesses without the marketing budgets of national chains. Student recommendations and information are often spread across university channels, WhatsApp groups, Instagram accounts, society pages and ticketing platforms.
stuDex’s app is free for students to download and use, while businesses can also join for free during the launch period. Students can discover places based on their interests, see what other students are planning and arrange informal meetups at venues across the city.
The platform's partners include Mr Wolfs, Bristol Folk House and independent cafés Drizzle and Cafe 56, alongside university societies and sports clubs including Bristol Black Futures, University of Bristol Fencing Society, UWE Snowsports and UWE Vegan Society.
Prankit Gupta, Founder of stuDex, who holds a PhD in Machine Learning from UWE Bristol and an MSc in Robotics from the University of Bristol, says: "Bristol has a huge student population and an incredible independent business scene, but there is still a disconnect between the two. Students often continue to return to the same places they know, out of habit and because it takes time to find out what’s on locally. At the same time, smaller businesses do not always have an easy or affordable way to reach students directly.”
"We built stuDex to bring those two sides together. It gives local independent businesses a way to introduce themselves to students while helping them discover more of what Bristol has to offer."
Kajal Ramsaha, who first used stuDex during its pilot at UWE Bristol, initially became a student ambassador. She has now joined stuDex’s founding team as Commercial Partnerships Lead.
She says: “What started with me using stuDex as a student, and then becoming an ambassador, has grown into me becoming part of the core team and working directly with businesses across Bristol. I think having students involved in the development of the app makes a real difference, because we can bring our own perspective on what students are actually interested in and what would make us want to try somewhere new.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Startups will be a key focus area at our sister title RTIH’s 2026 Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out the 2025 winners here.
RTIH’s 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
