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Entrepreneurship Centre’s Awards Evening (Cohort 7) – December 24

The Entrepreneurship Centre’s bi-annual awards evening took place this week, celebrating graduates from its programmes and winners of competitions including The Start Up Challenge and What’s the Big Idea? This marked the Centre’s first fully online awards event, enabling participants from various programmes to connect and celebrate each other’s achievements.

The evening featured a keynote speech by Simone Jensen, a University of St Andrews alumna and Co-founder and CEO of Radical, a company leveraging artificial intelligence to revolutionise cancer treatment. Simone’s expertise in strategic growth and her dedication to inclusivity have established her as a prominent leader in the startup ecosystem, inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders.

A total of 14 graduates from the Centre’s 3 core programmes were honoured during the ceremony. Each graduate was recognised for their accomplishments, and their names will be proudly displayed on the Entrepreneurship Centre’s “Wall of Fame.”

As part of the Startup Launchpad programme, participants deliver a final pitch to a panel of judges with a financial ask up to £1,000. Startup Launchpad is our newest programme where participants cover the steps needed to move from an idea to a venture and introduce no code platforms. The aim is to help ensure participants are addressing real problems and get to know the customer.
The winners were:
Artur Bodiu, School of Biology
Graham Loan, External
Zachary Halna du Fretay, Business School
Sophia Bruno, Business School
Seema Machaca, School of Geography and Sustainable Development
Sebastian Cohen, Business School
Rhayssa Silva De Oliveira, School of Computer Science

The winners of The Start Up Challenge were announced. The competition, funded by Santander Universities, is aimed at students and recent graduates who have been developing a business for some time, speaking to customers or have a minimal viable product or prototype. Entrants can pitch for up to £5,000 to develop their businesses further.
There were 4 winners this semester:
Ali-Reza Omidvar, School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies
Craig Bicknell, School of Computer Science
Pedro Lourenco, School of Computer Science
Rebecca Mesonjnik, School of Art History

The winners of the centre’s ideas competition: What’s the big idea? were also announced. Across 3 categories (product, service, technology), there were 4 winners who each won £100 and a space on next semesters’ programmes.
There were 4 winners this semester:
Technology: Audrey Ivester, School of Psychology and Neuroscience
Service: Nico Corporon, Int Education & Lifelong Learning Inst
Product: David Quinn, School of Medicine
Special Award: Olivia Dyson, School of Computer Science

Congratulations to all programme graduates, competition finalists and winners.
Applications for Cohort 8 of Entrepreneurship Centre Programmes are now open and can be viewed at the link below.

Entrepreneurship Centre Programmes (Cohort 8).