As we near the launch of the 2024 Tata Varsity Pitch Competition (our 15th edition!), it’s hard to believe it’s been a year since our incredible 2023 finalists battled it out at the Tata Varsity Pitch Grand Final.
These 7 finalists, who were selected to represent their category from a pool of hundreds, delivered show-stopping pitches that made them worthy contenders for the 2023 title and £15,000 prize. And while only one could be crowned the winner, all the businesses have gone on to achieve remarkable things since, a true testament that the Tata Varsity Pitch Competition, powered by NACUE, empowers early-stage student and graduate entrepreneurs with the tools and support they need to thrive.
One year on, we recently caught up with last year’s finalists to hear their success stories since the competition and how TVP played a role in their growth.
Social Impact
The Even Project, Founders Sarah Bailey and Aurusha Kharas
Since taking home the #VP2023 title, The Even Project has made incredible progress in their mission to provide sustainable period products for low income and displaced menstruators. From a feature in WIRED Magazine and winning a D&AD award to working with DIF Capital and Allia Impact to amplify their reach beyond to communities around the world where sanitary pads are not affordable nor accessible, their achievements have been nothing short of impressive.
We spoke to Sarah, who gave us some insight into her journey and Varsity Pitch experience:
One Year On, where are you currently with your startup?
“Even is moving closer towards the beginning of our pilot project this winter, supporting 950 refugees living in an isolated camp in Greece. Currently women in this camp are making devastating choices between food and sanitary pads, with local NGO’s working tirelessly to keep up with demand. With Even’s product we will support every menstruator for the next 5 years, saving thousands for the local NGO partners every year. We have also begun setting up our warehousing and kitting facilities that will allow us to fulfil humanitarian tenders at scale ahead of our official launch in 2025. We have thousands of pairs of underwear pre-ordered and are moving closer to more exciting news we will be announcing soon!”
How would you describe your experience of the Tata Varsity Pitch competition and NACUE’s support?
“The Tata Varsity Pitch ecosystem is an incredible resource; not only the bootcamp and 1–1 sessions during the award but as alum we have had a wonderful network we can draw from. The TVP is a well recognized award, which lends finalists and winners credibility of which we’ve gained great exposure. The finalist group is also quite small and so impressive, so it has been wonderful to keep in touch and watch each other grow.”
What advice would you give to future Tata Varsity Pitch Finalists?
“The Tata Varsity Pitch was an incredible springboard for Even, with massive upshifts in our pace and visibility. For any startups considering applying: go for it! The TVP is really a huge partnership with so many organisations coming together to create opportunities for young entrepreneurs. Since joining the family, it feels like we have 100’s more people fighting in our corner.”
Online People’s Vote
Elbow Engineers, Founders Jyotsna Ravikumar and Kumar Loganathan
Receiving the most votes from the public, Elbow Engineers took home the #VP2023 Online People’s Vote for their groundbreaking eco-brick solution. Crafted from recycled plastic and demolition waste, their eco-bricks tackle waste and pollution problems in the construction industry.
Since winning the People’s Choice award at Tata #VP2023, The Elbow Engineers has gone on to win numerous other awards including the Economic Times Social Impact Award, Indian Icon Award, University of the West of Scotland Green Technology Award, and became the semi-finalist of Ingenuity Program conducted by the University of Nottingham.
Kumar shared some more about their recent progress:
“Following our 2023 People’s Choice Award win, we have received support from the Indian government to collect segregated waste in Mahabubabad district, Telangana, and Hosur city, Tamil Nadu. This initiative allowed us to study the composition and types of waste generated, based on which we developed a prototype using the waste materials for flooring and decking. We have also partnered with the Tamil Nadu government’s initiative called TANSAM, led by Siemens India and Anna University for auditing our technology in different applications.”
From his #VP2023 experience, he highlighted:
“The Tata Varsity Pitch competition was a transformative experience, fostering both personal and professional growth. NACUE’s exceptional support, including workshops, mentoring, and guidance, significantly improved our chances of success. This platform not only provided us with valuable international exposure but also established credibility with investors and stakeholders.”
Digital & Technical
Enturi Solutions, Founders Alex Shakeshaft and Stuart Roberts
Enturi Solutions has also grown, continuing to make significant contributions towards the UK’s Clean Maritime Plan decarbonisation targets. They are developing game-changing distributed renewable energy systems for coastal regions, accelerating clean energy adoption through addressing energy diversity and security challenges.
Since representing the Digital & Technical category at Tata #VP2023, Enturi has achieved multiple milestones, including:
- Awarded an Enterprise Fellowship from Royal Academy of Engineering and the ERA Foundation
- Awarded Innovate UK SMART Grant
- Awarded Halton Council Start-Up of the Year 2024
- 7x Letters of Intent, including a maritime organisation representing 70+ global ports (paid trial), and Heads of Terms signed with a UK plant company (investment and commercial/technical support).
- April 2024 pre-seed SEIS/EIS investment round completed with SFC Capital and Britbots
Early Stage
Defensive Thinking, Founder Mark Williams
Pulse, by Defensive Thinking, is continuing to make strides in the defence sector through their joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform offering real-time intelligence access for more secure and intuitive information environments.
Founder Mark gave us insight into their journey since the competition:
“In the past year, we have significantly advanced our Pulse platform, enhancing its real-time intelligence capabilities to better serve military and crisis response teams. This has improved situational awareness and decision-making for our users. Additionally, we are currently preparing for a new round of funding to further expand our capabilities and reach. We also applied for NATO Diana, aiming to further our impact in defence innovation.”
When asked about his TVP experience, Mark shared:
“The Tata Varsity Pitch competition was an invaluable experience. NACUE’s support helped us refine our pitch and expand our network. The exposure and feedback have been instrumental in our growth.”
Creative & Design
Tap’N’Tour, Founder Joaquin Contreras Merino
Tap’N’Tour connects travellers with local tour guides, offering uniquely crafted experiences, revolutionising the way travellers experience destinations.
We spoke to Jaoquin, who shared the following about their progress since the competition:
One Year On, where are you currently with your startup?
“One year on, our startup is on the brink of exciting developments. We’re launching a minimum viable product this month to test our vision, with plans to release a fully functional version of our app in the following month. This summer, we hit a new sales peak with Pandemic Tours, driven purely by organic growth without any marketing spending.
Additionally, we’ve successfully secured a funding award in Spain from dRural, launching our first tour in Mérida, now available here: Merida Tour. It’s our first official exploration of a second country and language, so we are really excited. During this last year, I’ve also found a technical co-founder with expert knowledge, enhancing our development efforts.”
How would you describe your experience of the Tata Varsity Pitch competition and NACUE’s support?
“Participating in the Tata Varsity Pitch competition was a profound learning experience. It sharpened my ability to pitch succinctly and effectively, turning complex ideas into compelling stories. The expert advice was invaluable, refining our approach to business communication.”
What advice would you give to future Tata Varsity Pitch Finalists?
“To future finalists, I recommend practising your pitch extensively, embracing all feedback, and connecting with other competitors. The insights and networks you gain are as valuable as any prize.”
Genuine Innovation
Phare Labs, Founders Daniel McBride and Arnau Donate
Pitching for the Genuine Innovation category, Phare Labs presented their patent-pending fire alarm that uses a combination of chemical and spectral sensors together with AI to detect fires over 50s earlier, increase fire detection sensitivity by over 50%, and reduce false alarms by 98%.
Since the competition, Phare Labs have:
- Raised £300k investment from The British Design Fund and angel investors
- Taken part in the Techstars Boston Accelerator
- Showcased at Imperial College London’s San Francisco Startup Showcase
- Finalist at the 2023 Great British Entrepreneur Awards
Health & Wellbeing
Kitt Medical, Founders Zak Marks and James Cohen
Kitt Medical are building the ‘defibrillator for allergies’, a multi-award winning Anaphylaxis Kitt service providing schools with a regulated supply of emergency adrenaline pens and unlimited access to CPD accredited online training course.
Alongside impressive recognition and national media coverage, co-founder Zak shared some of their incredible achievements since the competition:
“We’ve now installed 500+ Kitts in over 350 UK schools, and recently launched our Kitts for businesses! We’ve trained more than 7,000 staff members, and our Kitts have been used to treat life threatening allergic reactions on three occasions.
“As of July 2024, we are now also able to sell our Kitts to businesses through occupational health! This means we’re one step closer to becoming every defibrillator’s next-door-neighbour, working with everything from schools and universities to workplaces, hospitality venues, leisure, retail, and more!”
The Tata Varsity Pitch Competition, powered by NACUE, gives students and recent graduates a platform to showcase their fantatsic business ideas tackling some of the world’s toughest challenges. If you are an entrepreneur building impactful ventures, growing teams, and launching innovative products, we would love to hear from you.
Register your interest in this year’s competition here, then you’ll be first to know when applications go live.
You can find more information on the NACUE website here.
