UK’s most innovative student social entrepreneurs battle for £50k at The Shard

A fashion label for adults under five feet tall – supported by a gold-medal winning Paralympian.

An AI-driven start-up that allows consumers to track their carbon footprint while grocery shopping.

And a set of digital tools that help medical professionals spend more time on patients and less on admin.

These are three of the six innovations competing for a share of £50,000 in a new competition supporting social enterprise start-ups founded by university students.

Business funding competition Ignite was due to reach its conclusion tonight (Thursday) as the founders pitched their enterprises at a high-profile event taking place at The Shard, London’s iconic landmark – which, at 1,016 feet high is the tallest building in the UK.

Also reaching the dizzying heights of the Ignite final were a sustainable alternative to disposable menstrual products, a verification kitemark in the rapidly expanding digital mental health market, and an employment platform that addresses the significant gap in job opportunities for refugees.

£20,000 prize for Ignite's winner

Launched by the Ford Family Foundation to drive positive social change and supported by leading UK universities, Ignite’s overall winner will receive a £20,000 impact accelerator grant to scale up their social enterprise, with a further £30,000 being shared between the other five finalists.

Jack Ford of the Ford Family Foundation, one of Ignite’s four judges, commented: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the sheer number of varied and high-quality entries we’ve received in Ignite’s inaugural year. The six finalists are addressing highly topical social issues with the potential to positively impact millions of lives across the world. We look forward to hearing their final pitches on 3 October and are delighted that our Foundation can support these highly impressive social entrepreneurs.”

All founded by undergraduates or recent graduates, the six Ignite finalists are: 

DEWEY Clothing – Fashion for adults under feet feet tall, supported by British Paralympian gold medallist Ellie Simmonds OBE (pictured modelling the clothes in main photo). Motivated by personal experience and a commitment to inclusivity, founder Chamiah Dewey (University of the Arts, London) launched her business to serve the 2.5bn adults globally who have been overlooked by mainstream fashion brands. 

Medily AI – Medily offers a suite of digital tools that support more efficient management of patient care, enabling medical professionals to spend less time on administration and more time with patients. These include features for digital diagnostic tools, streamlined prescription management and virtual consultations. Founder Tahla Mehmood (pictured) is a student doctor at Anglia Ruskin University.The Even Project CIC – Founders Sarah Bailey, Aurusha Kharas and Anushka Mahesh (pictured above), from Queen Mary’s London, University of Bristol, want to revolutionise menstrual hygiene to help the 26m refugees in period poverty. Their absorbent underwear provides a sustainable alternative, reducing costs by 16 times and cutting CO2 emissions by six times compared to disposable menstrual products.

CarbonTrac – Founded by UCL Chemical Engineering graduate Yasmine Abdu (right), CarbonTrac allows consumers to track their carbon footprint while grocery shopping, using AI and a comprehensive database to educate and empower individuals to make sustainable choices. It’s hoped this traffic light system data will help significantly reduce CO2 emissions from food production.

Verified by Maudsley – Addresses the growing need for a quality assurance framework and verification kitemark in the rapidly expanding digital mental health market, which is flooded by unregulated apps. Backed by the NHS and Maudsley Hospital Trust, the platform was co-created by Birkbeck’s Chris Attoe and Andrew Doe (pictured) to ensure that digital mental health tools are scientifically validated, reliable, and effective.

EqualReach – University of Edinburgh graduate Giselle Gonzales (right) founded EqualReach to address the significant gap in employment opportunities for refugees, establishing a platform that connects marginalised talent with dignified digital work. This significantly reduces the time it takes for refugees to secure online freelancing projects, cutting the process from six months to two weeks.

The six finalists were asked to deliver a short pitch to the judges and a live studio audience, with a five minute Q&A session to follow. Alongside Jack Ford, the other judges are Sarah Grieves of innovative tech platform Beam, CEO of Jigsaw Education Group Sanjeev Baga, and Ground+Air’s Jim Brown. Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Sanjay Lobo, founder  of corporate volunteering platform OnHand, was also due to join the event as keynote speaker.

Co-designed with Durham University’s Venture Lab, each of the finalists received pitching support, personalised coaching sessions and brand storytelling advice from Cambio Consultancy’s Peter Ptashko. Event sponsors Mathys & Squire, who are  providing the event space, will also guide the enterprising companies in how to secure protection for the intellectual property associated with their brands, technical innovations, and design rights.

In the three years since inception, the Ford Family Foundation has provided over £1m in funding across the charitable and social enterprise sectors.

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