Tom Fudge Win's Big!
The Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards began in 2011 and since then, it has grown to be one of the UK's largest student and graduate business pitching competition. Budding entrepreneurs compete to win cash prizes, mentoring and start-up support. For the 2018 awards, 20 businesses progressed to the London semi-final and had the chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges.
Semi Finals
Thomas Fudge represented Brunel at the Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards Semi-Finals. He pitched his business WASE to a panel of judges in order to win a place in the final. After a fantastic pitch, Tom and his team were able to successfully win over the judges to progress through to the final. The current CEO of WASE, pitched his business against 10 other technology entrants whereby only three could progress to the final. Two of the successful entrepreneurs were to be chosen by a panel of judges with a third, 'profit for purpose' vote, to be chosen by the audience. Tom was able to secure the WASE team and himself a place in the final of the competition through the judges choice alongside Supernotes from Kings College, London. The 'Profit for Purpose' winner was BrightSign, Goldsmiths University, represented by Rehana Al-Soltane who is in fact a Brunel University Psychology student!
Finals
The finals took place on November 20th with Tom once again pitching and facing a gruelling Q&A session with a panel of expert judges. After all pitches where over and a long deliberation from the judges, Tom and the WASE team where announced as the winners of the Technology Category receiving £25,000 to develop their business further. As well as the prize money, they received access to a range of other prizes designed to support and help grow their business. The runners up Fodilicious and POCKIT Diagnostics from the University of Cambridge , along with the winner of the People’s Choice category, Brightsign, also won seed funding and access to other prizes.
Massive congratulations to Tom and the WASE team!
Reported by:
Lauren Warner
lauren.warner@brunel.ac.uk