Business students at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) have been grilled and interrogated about their unique business ideas in scenes reminiscent of the BBC1 show, Dragons’ Den.
Several local business-people gave their time to the project, which saw students who are currently in their final year of studying Business Management and general business-related programmes at the MMU, present their ideas to the panel.
Over one hundred students participated in the overall Young Enterprise scheme, with 30 taking part in the Dragons’ Den final. The winning team was Bio Balm, who created a business to business marketing strategy which impressed the judges.
Mike Devlin, managing partner of the family law department at Stephensons Solicitors LLP, took the role of lead ‘dragon’, supported by Robert Moss from DAC Beachcroft LLP, Sham Abul of Enterprise Rent-a-car, Richard Roycroft from the Manchester Evening News and Lee McAteer of Americamp.
Mike Devlin from Stephensons, said: “The event was a great success and demonstrated the capabilities of undergraduates here in Manchester. These students are the entrepreneurs and business-people of the future and I look forward to following their progress as they complete their studies and venture into the working world.”
David Taylor, principal lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “It is a privilege to be associated with the Young Enterprise Dragons’ Den finale that celebrates the greatest entrepreneurial talent in the MMU business school.
“These young dynamic entrepreneurs were grilled by distinguished experts from the world of business ably led by Mike Devlin from Stephensons, who forensically dissected the business cases. All the Young Enterprise finalists benefitted from the encounter with the dragons, but the team that emerged victorious from the dragons' lair were Bio Balm, whose impressive business-to-business marketing strategy melted the dragons' steely resolve.
“The Roseman Moyo award, in recognition of the most entrepreneurial team, was presented by Mike Devlin to the MD of Bio Balm, Liz Poltawski, who also shared the individual entrepreneurial spark award with Kirsty Cooper of WE GO student magazine.
“I would like to congratulate the teams involved in this initiative and to the dragons who played a significant part in developing students' employability and enterprising skills. These events help in their own small way to feed the region’s entrepreneurial spirit.”
