10 pitches, 4 judges and £10,000 up for grabs to help turn an idea into a business!
Brunel University of London’s annual Venture Competition returned this year, offering students and alumni the opportunity to transform innovative ideas into viable business ventures, with a total of £10,000 in start-up funding up for grabs. Supported by CODEUNITED and the Brunel Development Fund, the competition continues to highlight emerging entrepreneurial talent across the university.
The 2026 competition attracted strong interest, with 78 video submissions from students and recent graduates. Each entrant was challenged to pitch their business idea in just two minutes, covering a wide range of sectors including sustainability, environmental solutions, healthcare and food innovation.
Following the initial round, 28 applicants were shortlisted to progress to the second stage, where they developed and submitted a detailed Business Model Canvas. Throughout the process, participants were supported with a series of workshops and tailored guidance aimed at strengthening their ideas and presentation skills.
Workshops included Business Model Canvas sessions led by Erica Purvis, founder of Technical Nature, alongside Perfect Your Pitch training delivered by Andrew Mossop, founder of The Training Ground, helping participants refine their final presentations.
The competition culminated in a live final held on Tuesday 24 March, where 10 finalists presented their business ideas to a panel of expert judges. Each finalist delivered a five-minute pitch followed by a five-minute question and answer session.
The judging panel featured Brunel Entrepreneur Hub Business Consultants Emmy Botterman and Farida Danmeri, alongside external judges: Brunel graduate entrepreneur Anil Puri, WeSprint Partner and founder of Pet Instincts (as well as the 2020 Brunel Venture Competition winner), and Tinesh Chhaya, founder and CEO of Founder Crush.
After careful deliberation, five winners were selected to receive a share of the £10,000 prize fund, providing vital support to help bring their ideas closer to market.
Meet the Winners
Md Abdur Razzak & team, founder of ZenVolt
Winning £4,000, UG Computer Science (BSc) 2025 graduate Abdur developed his idea throughout his studies and has continued to build on it since graduating. He first participated in the Venture Competition last year and went on to join Brunel’s online summer incubator programme. Since then, Abdur has expanded his team which includes COO Huijuan (Joyce) Kuang and CTO Nick Ng, refined his business model and made significant progress in bringing his venture closer to market. ZenVolt, is a battery performance passport, standardising operational data into lender-ready reporting, enabling asset owners and lenders to close financing faster and with greater confidence.
Jetmira Uka, founder of SwUp
Winning £3,000, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (PhD) 2025 graduate Jetmira business idea, SwUp, is a modular solid-state system that converts machining swarf into reusable, performance-grade feedstock on-site, reducing material costs, carbon emissions, and supply-chain risk through adaptive processing and digital monitoring.
Azim Raja, founder of Teek It
Winning £1,000, 2023 PG Civil and Environmental Engineering (MSc) graduate Azim has been developing his idea Teek It over the last few years. He first participated in the Venture Competition last year and went on to join Brunel’s online summer incubator programme. Teek It is the Uber Eats for the construction world, sourcing & delivering materials in as little as 30 minutes (2 hours for van deliveries).
Ivan Barros De Almeida & team, founder of Amplified Creative Therapy (ACT)
Winning £1,000, current UG Mathematics (BSc) student Ivan developed his business idea Amplified Creative Therapy (ACT) alongside his team, Brunel students Angele Ijeh, Marven Praisoody and recent graduate Anthony Nkpa. Amplified Creative Therapy is a peer-led wellbeing programme using creative engagement to provide healing and to identify students in need of institutional support.
Kris Sah & team, founder of Ruum
Winning £1,000, current UG Computer Science (BSc) student Kris and his team member Isaiah Uwaspaul have been developing their early-stage business Ruum, which is a solution that aims to bridge the gap between physical products and digital listings by acting as an agent for resellers, using embedded AI technology to accurately measure and prepare items for listing on their marketplace app.
Meet our other outstanding finalists…
In addition to funding, all finalists have been invited to take part in Brunel’s online Summer Start-Up Incubator Programme. The programme offers access to specialist mentors, as well as ongoing feedback and guidance to help participants further develop and scale their ventures.
The Venture Competition remains a key platform for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship at Brunel, empowering students and graduates to turn ambitious ideas into impactful businesses.
