Last week, Salford Business School students presented their businesses to a panel of judges at the Young Enterprise North West Start-Up Final, earning two coveted awards for their outstanding work.
Business Management with Entrepreneurship student, Fatima Begum, won the ‘Student Journey Award,’ while Business Management student, Johnny Seddon, was named ‘Outstanding Student of the Year’ by Young Enterprise.
Salford Business School colleagues, Dr Jonathan Owens and Gabi Round, were also named ‘University Ambassadors of the Year’ for their continued work with Young Enterprise and supporting our students on their entrepreneurial journeys.
On his award win, Johnny commented: “Winning the North West Student of the Year award at the Young Enterprise Final means a lot to me. It’s a huge recognition of the hard work I’ve put into What2Cook and reinforces my passion for entrepreneurship. Moving forward, I plan to continue growing What2Cook, refining the app, and exploring partnerships to tackle food waste. Excited for what’s next!”
Fatima continued: “Winning the award at the Young Enterprise North West Final was such a wonderful surprise, and it feels like a moment of magic for me and the team. As for the future, I’m still exploring where the winds might take us—who knows what exciting adventures lie ahead for the business! We’re keeping an open mind and excited to see what comes next for us.”
The Young Enterprise competition recognises and rewards student entrepreneurs who are paving the way in innovation and pioneering business concepts, with teams pitching their ideas to a panel of esteemed judges for a place in the coveted UK final, followed by the European final.
This year’s teams, Mashqah and What2Cook, made up of Salford Business School students, Fatima Begum, Scott Cleverley, Abdoulaye Diabate, Johnny Seddon, Alexander Fitzgerald and Adam Woosey, created businesses that focus on driving sustainability, a key focus point within teaching across the school.
Mashqah’s mission centres on eliminating the need for multiple bottles by offering one that can carry both hot and cold drinks, cutting down on plastic waste and shoulder strain.
What2Cook helps people, in particular low-income families and students, to save money by making the most of food they already have at home. The business aims to reduce food waste, plus make cooking easier and more accessible, while promoting a more sustainable way of living.
While the teams will not be progressing to the UK final this year, the awards have inspired the students to continue on their entrepreneurial journeys with the support of the University’s business incubator, Launch@ Salford.
Young Enterprise Lead here at the University, Dr Jonathan Owens, commented: “This year the competition was incredibly tough with some amazing businesses presented to the judges and, while our students will not be progressing to the next round, they leave with multiple outstanding awards to motivate them as they continue building their companies.
“For Gabi and I to be recognised for our work embedding the Young Enterprise programme into our curriculum at Salford Business School is also a great honour. Young Enterprise is a fantastic charity and to continue to collaborate on this amazing programme really does help empower our students by developing entrepreneurial thinking, while setting them up for successful future careers.”
Gabi Round, who works alongside Jonathan on the programme, added: “To see our students, as well as Jonathan and I, recognised for our work is a great feeling and really is credit to the success of the programme. Every year we see our students inspired to start their entrepreneurial journeys, some of whom have continued to build their businesses following graduation.”
