Manchester entrepreneurs win £50,000 in Venture Further competition

Eight Manchester entrepreneurs have been awarded a slice of a £50,000 cash prize through Manchester Enterprise Centre’s Venture Further competition, to help take their start-ups to the next level.

Venture Further invited students and researchers from the University of Manchester, as well as recent alumni, to submit their business proposal to an expert judging panel of enterprise and business professionals. The competition offered an opportunity to win a vital cash injection to help realise their business goals.

Of 16 finalists, four winners were selected across the business, research, digital and social categories, each winning £10,000. Four runners up in each category also received a cash injection of £2,500 for their businesses.

A total of 73 entries were submitted to this year’s awards programme, and the winners were:

In the business category, Neurolytics, which uses biometric data to enhance marketing solutions;

In the research category, MicroSpray Technologies, a new method of particle manufacturing using aerosol generation;

In the digital category, Otterly, an app allowing you to place restaurant orders on your mobile; and

In the social category, Bounceback Education, a tutoring service that sponsors disadvantaged students in the North West

Martin Henery, Venture Competition Director at the Manchester Enterprise Centre, said: “Our economy is changing at a staggering rate, and more people than ever are embracing their entrepreneurial spirit and looking to set up their own business.

“It is so important that we are able to nurture this talent to give these budding entrepreneurs the best possible chance to thrive in the constantly-changing business environment. Regardless of whether they win, Venture Further finalists are put through their paces explaining how they intend to develop and grow a successful, sustainable business to a panel of business and commercialisation experts.

“We were incredibly impressed with the standard of entries from all our finalists this year and we’re confident that, like the many Venture Further finalists before them, this year’s winners will go on to make great achievements through their highly successful ventures.”

This year’s Venture Further competition was sponsored by Waters Corporation, Manchester Science Partnerships and Jacobs.

For more information, visit: www.manchester.ac.uk/ venturefurther