It’s been almost a year since our 2021 Finalists took to the stage to pitch at the Tata Varsity Pitch Competition Grand Final. These innovative entrepreneurs are some of the UK’s brightest students and recent graduates building impactful ventures, growing teams, and launching innovative products. Each one of the 7 Category Finalists was ready to prove why they deserved the Grand Title and £15,000 prize. And while there was only one winner, each business has made impressive progress since, demonstrating how Tata Varsity Pitch Competition, powered by NACUE, builds an enriching foundation allowing early-stage student and graduate start-ups to flourish.
With applications for Tata #VP2022 now LIVE, we reached out to last year’s finalists to see where they are now and how the competition has helped shape their businesses.
Social Impact Category
The Washing Machine Project, Founder Navjot Sawhney
Since winning Tata #VP2021, The Washing Machine Project has made incredible progress and received bounds of recognition in their dedication to alleviate the burden of hand-washing clothes for low-income and displaced persons around the globe.
One Year On, where are you currently with your startup?
“Our efforts and team have grown significantly. We now have 7 FTE employees, 4 interns, and over 20 volunteers. We’ve opened up pre-orders, with interest from over 27 countries and 3000 washing machines. To expand our efforts we’ve travelled a lot, visiting Lebanon, Ukraine, and Poland, as well as launching research in Uganda, Congo and India. We’re also prototyping a refrigerator, launching The Refrigeration Project.”
How would you describe your experience of the Tata Varsity Pitch competition and NACUE’s support?
“The TVP prize is different in that it’s allowed us to directly impact people’s lives. Receiving the grant allows us to directly put the money into expanding our efforts. And while the money is great, the exposure is equally important. As a result of the competition, we got to speak to important people in the Tata and NACUE network which has moved our business forward.
What advice would you give to future Tata Varsity Pitch Finalists?
“Be resilient. We applied to the competition two times before, so don’t give up. Continue to develop your idea, be persistent, and show your progress. And enjoy the process. The questions you’re answering aren’t a chore, they’re helping you move your business forward. The training as a finalist is valuable, so see what synergies you can create to get the most out of the experience.”
Digital & Technical
Beautiful Voice, Founder Yun Bing
When Beautiful Voice entered the competition, their integrated digital health platform for modern, at-home speech rehabilitation was still at an early stage. Since then, the business has grown significantly.
One Year On, where are you currently with your startup?
“Beautiful Voice has an MVP which is being tested by a large number of patients and speech therapists. We have received investment from a VC and a grant from NIHR, allowing us to grow our team and start a clinical study with a group of neuro rehabilitation centres. We are now seeking a next round of funding to grow the business even faster.”
How would you describe your experience of the Tata Varsity Pitch competition and NACUE’s support?
“Presenting at NACUE allowed us to meet investors, potential clients and partners which have been accompanying us in our journey since. We learned so much from the mentors and made so many important connections. A highlight of the process was also getting to know all the other finalists.”
What advice would you give to future Tata Varsity Pitch Finalists?
“Think about the key messages you want to pass to your audience during the pitch. These pitch competitions are pretty fast paced, so you always want to focus on one or two messages to stick with your listeners.”
Disruptive Business
Drill Surgeries, Founder Moises Barbera Ramos
Developing AI powered medical devices eliminating the guesswork in surgeries, Drill Surgeries continues to disrupt the medical field, with founder Moises even winning the Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 award.
One Year On, where are you currently with your startup?
“Since the Tata Varsity Pitch 2021, we have grown exponentially to finish our fully working prototype and start testing. Part of our growth has included our core team, having welcomed new surgeons and an experienced operating officer to lead our commercial efforts. After securing the Innovate UK Smart Grant, we are now looking for additional strategic investors.”
How would you describe your experience of the Tata Varsity Pitch competition and NACUE’s support?
“Out of all the startup competitions I have been involved with over the past 3 years I still stand behind my words when I say this is the best one of all of them yet. The way the competition is structured allows for startups to be matched in different categories so you know you are competing for a given recognition rather than just one more startup award. Additionally, I really enjoyed the workshop sessions that all the finalists attended prior to the final, having a chance to meet all together in one same room and get to meet leaders and experts to improve our business’ journey moving forward.”
What advice would you give to future Tata Varsity Pitch Finalists?
“Make friends, I believe that is my main take away. As you become a finalist you are one of the very few entrepreneurs that have achieved this milestone and the people you are surrounded by are at least as remarkable as you are, if not more, and this is an opportunity to learn, share, receive feedback and create a relationship that can last forever.”
Ideas
HydroGrow, Founder Arthur Georges and Isaac McNamara
HydroGrow is continuing to make strides bringing sustainable smart gardens into the kitchen.
One Year On, where are you currently with your startup?
“Since the competition, we have finalised our product and launched sales to get our first paying customers and signed on several physical and online resellers. We have just raised £50,000 from 2 UK-based funds and are now moving to large-scale production to deliver our units and focusing massively on sales and marketing to increase our reach.”
How would you describe your experience of the Tata Varsity Pitch competition and NACUE’s support?
“We have taken part in a lot of start-up competitions, but this one really stood out with the quality of support provided to entrepreneurs along the way. All the workshops we had as semi-finalists and finalists were very well tailored and extremely helpful, giving us access to a network of advisors that provided us with key resources around business, marketing, pitching and HR. Following up the competition, NACUE continued to provide us with amazing resources to develop our business, gain access to grants or leverage the London entrepreneurial network.”
What advice would you give to future Tata Varsity Pitch Finalists?
“Market validation and traction are key, especially if you are an early-stage business. Make sure that you have identified a concrete problem and that you are coming up with a strong and unique solution.”
Genuine Innovation
PhenUtest, Founder Dr Srijan Jindal
PhenUtest has also continued to grow, building their technology to enable 30-minute testing for UTI-suspected samples, ensuring patients get the correct diagnosis and treatment.
One Year On, where are you currently with your startup?
“The future’s looking good for us as we have made great strides in technological development since the competition. We hold 2 new patents, have 10 FTE employees, and received £2 million in total funding (£700k grant and 1.25M equity).”
How would you describe your experience of the Tata Varsity Pitch competition and NACUE’s support?
“Tata Varsity Pitch was a great platform to start looking at the start-up space. It gave us a lot of insight into how to approach the market and what investors are looking for. The stand-out for me was the stage given to develop my pitch, helping me think like the audience and reiterate how I present my story and innovation. Tata Varsity Pitch is a great stage to get a feel of how the market will interrogate you and it really helps you develop as an entrepreneur.”
What advice would you give to future Tata Varsity Pitch Finalists?
“Being a finalist means that you will be successful. The question is not how, but when. So keep your focus on developing your technique and use this as the first stepping stone for future success.”
RIIVAL, Founder Alex Choi
Last but not least, we caught up with RIIVAL, the 2021 Online Peoples’ Choice winner.
One Year On, where are you currently with your startup?
“Since the competition, we have grown our user base extensively throughout London, launching across 12 additional universities. We’ve also rolled out new app features with a new design. We’re hoping to expand beyond students before the end of the year, so we can help even more people find a sports partner.”
How would you describe your experience of the Tata Varsity Pitch competition and NACUE’s support?
“The Tata Varsity Pitch was a great way to get feedback on my startup. Whether it was polishing my pitch or getting suggestions from the judges, NACUE helped me learn a lot in a very short period of time.”
What advice would you give to future Tata Varsity Pitch Finalists?
“Whether it be pitching workshops or consultancy sessions, there are a lot of opportunities throughout the competition to help you improve and learn. Ensure that you make the most of these sessions, so that regardless of the outcome of the competition you’ll be able to make some great progress with your startup.”
Applications are now open for the Tata Varsity Pitch Competition 2022, powered by NACUE. You can find all the information on the NACUE website here, including how to nail your 60-second elevator pitch!
If you have any questions about the competition, you can also sign-up to one of our Q&A sessions here.
