Allergen-free snacks, a physiotherapy app for children with disabilities, and flashcards to help refugees overcome language barriers are just some of the business ideas that have won national entrepreneur awards and a share of £75,000 in seed funding.
After pitching their ideas to an expert panel, as part of the Ingenuity Programme run by the University of Nottingham and sponsored by Nuffield Health, the start-ups are among 17 UK fledgling businesses that have won awards.
Jared Spencer, a University of Nottingham alumnus, won the University of Nottingham Impact Entrepreneur of the Year award, for his business ‘RIDDIM’, which addresses the rise in allergens as the most common chronic disease in Europe where many people with allergies struggle daily with the fear of possible asthma attack, anaphylactic shock, or even death from an allergic reaction.
RIDDIM is a dietarily inclusive, culturally relevant snack company which draws its inspiration from the flavours and the stories of the Caribbean to produce a range of tasty snack products free from 13 of the 14 major allergens.
Katie Michaels, a Loughborough University alumni, won the National Health Champion award (£5,000 sponsored by Nuffield Health) for Moti Me, which aims to help children with disabilities.
She has identified that a lack of access to physiotherapy and physical activity sessions guided by healthcare professionals can be detrimental for children with disabilities in achieving their developmental milestones and how parents often struggle to continue the exercises at home.
Moti Me includes a handheld device, mat and guidance app to support parents or caregivers and their child with special needs to practice physio and carry out developmental exercises in the home environment. Katie also won the Shakespeare Martineau Legal Prize (£2,000 of in-kind legal support provided by Shakespeare Martineau).
Richard Holmes, a student at York St John University, won the overall Impact Entrepreneur of the Year award (£10,000 sponsored by Nuffield Health) for his business, Global Anthem, a hand gesture flashcard system that enables effective communication for refugees and migrants facing language barriers.
Richard also won the Yorkshire and Humber Champion (sponsored by Santander Universities UK); the Shakespeare Martineau Legal Prize (£2,000 of in-kind legal support provided by Shakespeare Martineau); and the Engineers in Business Prize (£1,000 provided by Engineers in Business Fellowship).
“I am delighted with the outcome of the 2023 Ingenuity National Competition and the positive, meaningful impact of the programme this year,” said Claire Mulholland, senior business development and Ingenuity Programme manager at the University of Nottingham.
“The Ingenuity Programme team are so incredibly proud of our 2023 Changemakers and their commitment to developing businesses focussed on improving health, tackling climate change and building stronger communities.”
Claire continued: “Thank you to our participants, alumni, corporate, community and university partners, mentors, judges, contributors and other valued members of our Ingenuity Programme network.”
Ben Davies, organisational development director at Nuffield Health, said: “Nuffield Health is incredibly proud to have partnered with Ingenuity on this programme. Partnerships really are the key to maximising the positive impact we can have at a national, regional and local level.
“One of the ways we are starting to tackle the UK’s major health, social and environmental challenges is by supporting innovative start-ups with a social mission at their core.
“We are delighted to play our part in supporting up and coming entrepreneurs that are making such a meaningful impact in their communities. All of the participants should be incredibly proud, and I look forward to seeing how these fantastic programmes develop in the future.”
Run by the University of Nottingham and in partnership with Nuffield Health, the Ingenuity Programme provides start-up skills and training, networking, mentoring, and routes to funding for early-stage impact-driven businesses to make social and environmental change. The most impactful ideas are awarded a top prize and receive a share of £75,000 funding to help them in the early stages of their entrepreneurial journeys.
The programme supports participants to turn ideas for change into exciting new ventures and adopts an agile and flexible approach to ensure we are diverse, inclusive, and accessible.
The Ingenuity Programme is designed to demystify entrepreneurship and support those not currently served by existing services available in Nottingham and in the UK’s start-up landscape. This includes engaging with and supporting underserved and underrepresented groups both from within the university and its local communities.
