More success for Manchester's social entrepreneurs
Published on 30 May 13
Venture Further winners get the nod from Oxbridge and Barclays business start-up competitions
PhD students Anna King and Natalie Cureton have won £10,000 in the Oxbridge Roundtable OneStart competition for their business, LipoPep. This comes hot on the heels of winning first prize in the Technology category of the Venture Further 2013 business start-up competition.
LipoPep is a targeted drug delivery system that allows for existing therapeutics to be actively and selectively delivered to the placenta, providing the first treatment option for pregnancy complications.
The OneStart competition is the largest biotech idea competition in the world and showcased the top 10 finalist’s biotech ideas to an audience of pharmaceutical industry professionals, venture capitalists and academics.
Anna added: “The support from the Enterprise Centre has been great; it has given us the confidence to take part in these competitions.”
Further success has been achieved by Manchester student Christina Taylor who has won the top prize in the Barclays School for Start-ups competition.
Currently studying on the Master of Enterprise programme at Manchester Business School, Christina recently won the first prize of £10,000 in the social category of the University’s Venture Further business start-up competition. Her business is called Aspire Studios – a community dance school aimed at disadvantaged children.
Christina was given early approval to compete in the Barclays competition as judges felt that her application was one of the strongest. Her application consisted of documentation produced as part of her studies and the Venture Further competition, plus a 300-word piece about her business.
She concluded: “It means a lot to win the competition. This opportunity will help to propel my business and I am extremely happy!”
To find out more about upcoming competitions and how you can get involved, take a look at Barclays school for start-ups and the Venture Further business start-up competition.