Unloc and Verizon launch The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge 2025 across Europe
. Unloc and Verizon Business have launched The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge for 2025, an annual event that seeks to identify the best young talent across
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Unloc and Verizon Business have launched The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge for 2025, an annual event that seeks to identify the best young talent across Europe with innovative business ideas.
The winner will receive £10,000 (€11,750*), mentorship and a technology package to launch their business. In addition, they will also receive a ticket to attend the Global One Young World 2025 Munich Summit.
This entrepreneurship competition for young people aims to encourage and attract the dynamic new business leaders of tomorrow. Now in its seventh year, the challenge is open to European entrepreneurs aged between 16-25 years old who can submit their technology-led start-up business concepts online.
“Each year, The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge identifies and brings to light amazing young talent from across the UK and Europe and it is a privilege to be able to help encourage and support tomorrow’s entrepreneurs,” said Sanjiv Gossain, General Manager and Head of EMEA for Verizon Business. “Young entrepreneurs in Europe often face challenges related to accessing funding and mentorship, so to play a role in enabling their ideas to come to fruition and be presented on the global stage, is very important to Verizon Business.”
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“We are in a landscape where technological ideas are becoming the clear catalyst for addressing and resolving some of the most complex challenges in sustainability, climate change and health, so investing in the next generation of leaders and their ideas plays a fundamental part in addressing these challenges,” said Hayden Taylor, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Unloc.
“Every year we’re overwhelmed with the business minds of young entrepreneurs and in a year that has been dominated by the advancement of emerging tech, we’re very excited to see the ideas that entrants submit for the next Young Entrepreneurs Challenge.
“2024’s winner, Ethan Waisberg, impressed the expert judges with his app, AngioGenius, which allows anyone to take a photo of their eye at home to help detect and monitor eye disease progression. His research work with NASA astronauts and the integration of generative AI into the app was extremely impressive, and the funding from Unloc and Verizon will now enable him to carry out clinical trials and help reduce eye disease progression worldwide. We cannot wait to see what innovation young changemakers envision this year.”
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To enter, entrants are asked to record a 60-90-second video, as well as complete an online application form outlining their business idea. Applications will be judged based on their viability, technology innovation and sustainability.
Finalists will then compete head-to-head in a grand finale held in March 2025, pitching their business concept live to a panel of expert judges and invited guests representing both the worlds of business and education.
Apply by January 17, 2025 at YEC25.COM
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To read about last year’s Grand Final and Ethan’s win click here
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Notes for Journalists
About – Unloc
Unloc was founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling. The organisation’s mission is to empower young people to be innovative changemakers who seek to build stronger communities and sustainable businesses. The organisation is focused on developing young people’s skills, enhancing their potential and boosting their determination to succeed. Unloc works towards achieving its mission by delivering inspiring educational programmes, including on entrepreneurship and self-employment, in our network of 100+ schools and colleges in the UK and beyond.
To find out more about Unloc and all our latest news visit: unloc.org.uk/news
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $128.3 billion in 2020. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.
VERIZON’S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at verizon.com/news. News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.
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This year’s 2024 Young Entrepreneurs Challenge was extra special for Unloc and our partners Verizon Business, as not only did we feature our most impressive finalists yet, we also launched an all new category for young people with the initial sparks of an idea! Concepts and business ideas come in all shapes and sizes, and whilst not every idea that gets submitted may be far enough along in its development to make it through to the final, we received so many high quality applications that we couldn’t let that talent pass by without doing something to help such inspiring young people take that first step to success.
With this in mind we created a new Ignite Tier which was launched at this year’s Grand Final event in London. This new tier saw us selecting 5 lucky finalists to compete for a new Ignite Grant of £1000 / 1,200 € to kickstart their concept and ignite their business idea.
We then opened up the vote online to allow people to vote for their three winners, with each receiving the funding to help kick-start their business idea. The votes flooded in, and three winners were announced!
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Georgina Lee – aged 16 from the UK
Georgina’s idea was for a portable sign language translator hoping to improve the quality of education of those who cannot verbally communicate. The £1000 would be used to create a prototype using a small camera, small speaker, and learning how the optic flow within the sensor is going to work. Georgina said:
“My company is USS (you speak sign) a non-profit organisation dedicated to the inclusion of all abilities in this world of technology. Our team consists of myself, a team leader, our research team of Maisha Maryam and Ibtehal Babar and our head of design Aliana Al Khalil. We all attend the same school and have been amazing friends for many years! Our product is a portable sign language translator hoping to improve the quality of education of those who cannot verbally communicate. Designed to improve the lives of deaf people who are nonverbal, and meets their needs in a new way by considering other aspects of sign language (body language) that was ignored by other solutions.
We were inspired by our classmates as we go to the only deaf catering school in our area to help them within our lessons because we couldn’t do much for them. They often became isolated not by choice but simply by the fact that they couldn’t communicate which we thought was unfair. We also recognised that for everyone to learn sign wouldn’t be feasible. To tackle this problem we started small by learn to sign ourselves every Thursday lunchtime! We spent time with those who are deaf of varying severity and learnt about their needs and concerns. We gathered information and started our research by looking into technology that has already been created for our fellow students.
Despite the technology existing, we have utilised it in an original way by including things such as gesture recognition, or allowing our product to include other types of sign language, increasing its versatility. We would use the £1000 in order to create a prototype to bring life to our portable translator. It requires high technology and expert in order to help us build the prototype so this is what I would invest the money into. We will also invest into buying the parts, and actually physically building this Translator in order to see the viability of It. We are looking to buy small camera, small speaker, and learn how the optic flow within the sensor is going to work. We will also invest in experts in these fields in order to better develop our own understanding of this new technology!”
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Martina Criniti – aged 25 from Italy
Martina’s idea is the creation of a structure for use in the sea that can be turned into a basket with a double filtering function that keeps things contained and prevents them from spreading out. The idea aims to reduce plastics and microplastics in the coastal waters and rivers, primarily. The €1,200 would be used to conduct research and seek out researchers from both European institutions and Nationals who are interested in the advancement of this concept. I also consider large corporations. The objective is to develop a product that can be immediately placed on the market. Martina said:
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world”.
Robin Williams
“This quote resonates deeply with me as it reflects my life, attitude, and unwavering determination. Despite criticism of my ideas, I have always believed in their potential to make a difference. That is why, I am incredibly grateful and honored to have been selected by the Young Entrepreneur Challenge for the Ignite category giving me such an unparalleled opportunity. I am an Italian law and international relations student at the University of Genoa. Last year, during my second year of university, I was inspired to tackle the issue of plastic pollution.
Through extensive research and development, I've created a sustainable solution to reduce plastic waste and protect marine life. Being passionate about environmental sustainability since my high school days, I participated in the simulations of the United Nations as a delegate and advocate general, where I learned about sustainable resources and measures to reduce plastics and microplastics in the ocean. Since that time, I have dedicated myself to solving the issue of plastic pollution. After being called in for years on technical and legislative solutions in proposing solutions and actions at the international law level by collaborating and cooperating with delegates during the UN simulations, last year, I decided to put into practice a system able to capture and collect all kind of plastic and microplastics at its source: rivers and coastal waters.
Few devices are used in these areas, creating a discrepancy in how actions are taken where plastic pollution habitually floats and its origins. The idea, which underwent different stages and modifications, aims to collect plastics and filter microplastics using a combination of mechanical and robotic installations and applications. The structure is environmentally friendly, and technological devices make it self-sustaining without external or ground-bound energy sources. The structure also includes a detector, protecting marine life and preventing their engulfment.
Furthermore, it employs AI technology, which is advantageous in the current market and helps people achieve their objectives. The goal is to reduce plastic by 2050 and achieve goals 6, 13, and 14 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The idea is decisive since the structure can be used in a large-scale application, not sectoral. It can be installed in diverse areas, including rivers and territorial waters, and in diverse circumstances as it can be employed in small, medium, and large boats, for example.
The funds will be allocated toward researching and implementing the concept, ensuring its efficacy and promptness as I will organise research collaborations and introduce the project to diverse international and national organisations and companies as well as research institutions. I sincerely appreciate your support: your belief in me and in my idea has been truly empowering.“
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Harry Smith – aged 25 from the UK
Harry’s idea is a device for generating energy from the waves in the sea. It’s comprised of a series of tubes with magnetic floats in, which bob up and down with wave action and form a linear alternator. This energy is then rectified and can be fed back to the grid or used locally as a generator would. The £1,000 would fund tests in the sea with the current prototype, which would help to gather data on possible output levels, which informs suitable use cases. Harry said:
“OnJoule was founded to help meet the world’s increasing energy needs by harnessing the power of the sea. I have had a life-long passion for engineering and all things marine which led me a few years ago to build myself a narrowboat from scratch to live on. While aboard of an evening, it’s impossible to ignore the lapping of water against the outside of the hull, even on quiet inland waterways. This made me think about ways of harnessing this power and doing something useful with it, consequently OnJoule came into existence.
The core technology behind OnJoule is a series of light floating magnets within a much heavier floating platform. As a wave passes the light magnetic floats bob up and down significantly more than the heavy platform, which causes relative motion, which can be harnessed into electricity. Unlike existing wave energy technologies it requires no costly infrastructure, and has no wearing parts, so can be at sea for an extended period of time. As the technology is modular it suits multiple sizes of application, from something small enough to be rapidly deployed as a replacement for a petrol generator through to grid level infrastructure.
OnJoule is in its infancy currently and so the prototype of the technology is relatively crude and small, and not yet suitable to reveal to the world! The next stage for the business is to develop this prototype and refine the technology, to increase efficiency and by the end of the year have something that can be demonstrated publicly to promote wave power as a viable addition to renewable technologies, test the technology in real world conditions and use it to demonstrate to investors to raise a pre seed round of funding.
The grant money is going to be incredibly useful to spend on the development of this prototype- it unlocks the next stage of product development and enables the purchase of materials to prototype with, which is crucial with any hardware based start up. My last start up, HausBots, who make wall-climbing robots, was started in a similar way- use competition and grant money to build a basic prototype to demonstrate to investors, raise investment then use that money to build a truly great product for customers to use!
We all have the capacity to build a better future for humanity, and as an engineer I see it as my duty to at least try to build things that can help to solve some of the massive problems the world faces. The need for energy generation is only going up, so our ways of generating it need to become ever greener to cope, which requires ever more innovations such as OnJoule.”
Our three Winners have some brilliant concepts to unleash upon the world, and thanks to the new Ignite funding it will allow them to progress their ideas – and help make their dreams a reality. Watch this space!
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What an event this year’s Young Entrepreneurs Challenge Grand Final was! Year upon year the competition grows in scale and reputation, attracting ever more impressive young people from across Europe. This year’s event was held at the stunning V Suite in our partner Verizon’s Headquarters in Holborn, London, with leaders from across industry sectors gathering to witness our young hopefuls pitch their business ideas to our panel of judges, including ex Dragon’s Den star Piers Linney.
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After some amazing and impressive pitches, and much difficult deliberation from the judges, Ethan Waisberg has been revealed as the winner of the 2024 Verizon/Unloc Young Entrepreneurs Challenge. Ethan competed with strong contenders from across Europe to win £10,000 (€12,000), mentorship, a technology support package to help kickstart their business proposal, and a trip to the One Young World 2024 Global Summit, which brings together many of the brightest young leaders from over 190 countries.
The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge, now in its sixth year, tasks young people between the ages of 16 and 25 to devise a tech-led business idea that enriches and benefits the planet. This year’s challenge uncovered solutions, including a new bladeless hydro generator, a hybrid sunlight system that utilises advanced optics with a sun-tracking mechanism, and Generative AI technology to improve eye disease screening programs.
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This year the contestants pitched to an esteemed panel of expert judges including:
Sanjiv Gossain, Head of EMEA, VerizonBusiness
EllaRobertson-McKay, ManagingDirector, One Young World
Piers Linney, Former investor on Dragons’Den, Co-founder: ImplementAI,Adviser & Speaker
Jamie Bankhead, Previous YEC Winner & CEO ofKonglomerate Games
JohnWilliams, MarketingDirector & CMO – EMEA,APAC & LatAm, Verizon
With a strong pitch and well defined business plan, Ethan won this year’s competition with his product AngioGenius. With eye disease screening programs worldwide not performing well enough and millions around the world to going blind, Ethan developed an app where anyone can take a photo of their eye at home to help detect and monitor eye disease progression. From his research work with NASA astronauts, Ethan found a way to use Generative AI to allow the eyes of astronauts to be better monitored while in spaceflight, where limited imaging equipment exists. Ethan is bringing this same technology to Earth with AngioGenius at a fraction of the cost to current and widely used eye disease screening programs.
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“I’m extremely impressed with all the other finalists and I feel honoured to be here and to have won,”said Ethan Waisberg, Founder, AngioGenius “I’m really excited as this funding will enable us to carry out clinical trials and help reduce blindness worldwide. I’m also excited by the support and mentorship being offered by Verizon and Unloc to help my company take the next steps to growth”
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“What an amazing Grand Final this year” said Unloc’s Managing Director Hayden Taylor, “Our Finalists were so prepared and focused during the event, and really demonstrated the ingenuity, creativity and determination of young people in today’s world. I know our judges had an incredibly tough decision to make, but ultimately there can only be one grand prize winner, and Ethan absolutely deserved the £10,000 prize to take his ideas forward and make them a reality. A huge congratulations to all of our finalists, you make all of the hard work that goes into this competition absolutely worth it, and we’ll continue to watch and support you on your journey as the business leaders of tomorrow.”
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“I am truly impressed by the innovative ideas and determination demonstrated by all participants in this year’s Young Entrepreneur Challenge. Congratulations to this year’s winner, Ethan Waisberg for his innovative vision and exemplary execution, and to all the finalists for their remarkable contributions to the entrepreneurial landscape. Their innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit have truly impressed us all and their passion, creativity, and dedication are inspiring examples for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere. I am excited to see this group of young business leaders and their innovations fulfill their potential to have a positive impact .” said Sanjiv Gossain, General Manager and Head of EMEA for Verizon Business.
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Each runner-up receives £1,000 to fund their start-up business, a personalised development plan that focuses on key priorities, and access to a series of masterclasses over the next year that will pair the finalists with various industry experts. We also provided Mariia with entry to the One Young World Summit in Montrèal, Canada by way of making up for the fact she was unable to travel to the UK from Ukraine and attend the Grand Final in person.
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The 2024 Young Entrepreneurs Challenge Runner Ups
We’ll be watching these inspiring young people closely to follow all their progress and developments as they start their careers, paving the way for fellow young entrepreneurs to follow in their footsteps. Follow us on our social channels to keep up with their progress and career developments!
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For more information on The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge simply click here!
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About Unloc
Unloc was founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders and advocates Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling. Our mission is to empower young people to be innovative changemakers who seek to build stronger communities and sustainable businesses. We develop young people’s skills, enhance their potential and boost their determination to succeed. This is encapsulated in our ‘Developing Young Potential’ tagline. We work towards our mission by delivering inspiring educational programmes in our growing network of schools and colleges, our physical Changemaker Studios spaces in Portsmouth and London, and work with business leaders to deliver a range of programmes that help us achieve our mission. For more information about Unloc visit www.unloc.org.uk
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About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000, and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology and communications services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $134.0 billion in 2023. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.
VERIZON’S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at verizon.com/news. News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds
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Unloc and Verizon Business have launched the annual Young Entrepreneurs Challenge for 2024. Now in its sixth year, the challenge is open to European entrepreneurs aged between 16-25 years old, who can submit their technology-led start-up business concept online.
The winner will receive £10,000 (€12,000*), mentorship and a technology package to launch their business. In addition, they will also receive a ticket to attend the Global One Young World 2024 Montréal Summit.
This annual European entrepreneurship competition for young people aims to encourage and attract the dynamic new business leaders of tomorrow.
“This year’s competition is gearing up to be our biggest and best yet, and we’re so excited to see the ideas of young people from across Europe as they tackle important global issues such as climate change, sustainability and the health sector” said Hayden Taylor, Managing Director of Unloc.
“Every year we’re so impressed with the business minds of young entrepreneurs, and this year there’s even more opportunity for entrants with a great idea that needs nurturing, as well as those with a more developed plan. Last year’s winner, Olivia Simpson, absolutely blew us away with her foresight and vision for a medical industry that’s conscious of the materials it uses, and her idea to replace single use plastics with compostable alternatives. We cannot wait to see what innovation young changemakers envision this year.”
“Every year the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge uncovers amazing young talent from across Europe and it is a privilege to be able help encourage and support tomorrow’s innovators” said Sanjiv Gossain, General Manager and Head of EMEA for Verizon Business. “It is inspiring and reassuring to see youthful and bright minds focus on building businesses that will tackle social, community and sustainability issues.”
To enter, entrants are asked to record a 60-90 second video, as well as completing an online application form outlining their business idea.
Applications will be judged based on their viability, technology innovation and sustainability.
Finalists will then compete head-to-head in a grand finale held in February 2024, pitching their business concept live to a panel of expert judges and invited guests representing both the worlds of business and education.
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Winner of the Young Entrepreneur Challenge 2022 – Olivia Simpson
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Last year’s winner was the inspirational 21 year old Olivia Simpson. Her start-up SymbioTex is developing single use plastics for the medical industry such as inhalers, COVID tests and pregnancy tests that are home compostable. Currently these types of devices are made of non-renewable materials and at the end of their life go to landfill or incineration – creating harmful byproducts such as microplastics.
Olivia aims to licence their technology to current medical device manufacturers, something that would transform the medical sector and its sustainability. Symbiotex are now working closely with the NHS and making great strides, a true testimony of the young talent that the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge helps discover.
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Olivia has some advice for anyone thinking of applying: “I’d urge anyone who is considering entering to not just consider. Apply! Being in the final was a huge opportunity for us and our concept. The Unloc team were incredibly supportive, both in the run up to the day and on the day itself. All the Unloc staff went above and beyond and were incredibly friendly and supportive, they made me feel really prepared. Never have I felt so empowered at a competition by the other finalists and the staff – it really was a great day. My top tip would be to get your passion across. You never know the next winner could be you.”
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For more information on the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge click here!
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About – Unloc
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Unloc was founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling. The organisation’s mission is to empower young people to be innovative changemakers who seek to build stronger communities and sustainable businesses. The organisation is focused on developing young people’s skills, enhancing their potential and boosting their determination to succeed. Unloc works towards achieving its mission by delivering inspiring educational programmes, including on entrepreneurship and self-employment, in our network of 100+ schools and colleges in the UK and beyond.
To find out more about Unloc and all our latest news visit: unloc.org.uk/news
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About Verizon
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Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $128.3 billion in 2020. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.
VERIZON’S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at verizon.com/news. News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.
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For more information on the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge click here!
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This past year has been by far our biggest and most impactful yet! We’ve worked relentlessly to grow the reach of our programmes and deepen their impact, whilst developing our ability to influence education, government and businesses to invest in young people as changemakers.
As part of this, we’ve doubled down on our belief that every young person can be a changemaker, you just have to find the lens or opportunity that most resonates for them. It could be through the career they choose, the business they set up, the difference they make in their community, or even simply through their presence in school, college or the workplace.
Our annual Impact Report provides an overarching view of the past 12 months for Unloc, celebrates our 10 year anniversary, and takes an inside look at some of the many programmes, courses and events we’ve delivered this year in over 200 schools and colleges across the UK.
It provides insight to our Europe wide Young Entrepreneurs Challenge, our partnerships with leading non-for-profits and charities, as well as the focused work to create a generation of young changemakers with our amazing Changemaker Alliance partners Verizon Business, Burberry, and GRP Solutions Ltd. Most importantly we hear real lived-experiences from the young people themselves in their own words.
Don’t worry though, at Unloc – we don’t ‘do dull’, our report is a vibrant visual collective of experiences and moments from the past 12 months that we want to share with you. Click below to download it now.
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Young Entrepreneurs Challenge Winner Olivia Simpson talks about her Grand Prize Win!
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A few weeks ago we were thrilled to crown 21 year old Olivia Simpson the Winner at our Young Entrepreneurs Challenge Grand Final in collaboration with our wonderful partners Verizon Business.
Held at the impressive new V-Suite in Verizon’s London headquarters, our Grand Final event welcomed all five finalists Evan, Anjali, Olivia, Marion and Idan to pitch their ideas to our panel of industry experts. The event was streamed live through Verizon’s cutting edge technology so that people across Europe (and beyond) could join in the competition as it unfolded.
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It was the toughest final yet! All five finalists delivered exceptional presentations and wowed the room with their business acumen and awareness of important sustainability issues on a global scale. Their ideas and ingenuity were simply astounding, and our judges had an incredibly difficult time choosing an overall winner.
After much deliberation the amazingly impressive Olivia Simpson from was crowned our Grand Prize Winner, taking away a cheque for £10,000, entry to the One Young World Global Summit and a mentorship package.
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Now that Olivia’s had time to catch her breath we caught up with her to hear all about her experience and how it felt to be announced our winner!
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Olivia, once again, huge congratulations on your win, your vision for your business was simply inspiring and will have such far-reaching impact in the medical industry. Have you managed to take it all in yet?
Just about! Honestly it was such a big achievement to me and I am still so ecstatic about it!
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For those who didn’t see the final, give us a brief overview of what your business is and what it does, and where you hope to take it.
My business SymbioTex aims to replace single use plastics in the medical sector. We are working to produce class 1 medical devices (such as inhalers, covid-19 tests and pregnancy tests) that are home compostable- currently these devices are made of non-renewable materials and at the end of their life they go to landfill or incineration creating harmful byproducts such as microplastics.
We aim to licence our patented technology to current medical device manufacturers- to help us get to this point we are working on optimising our formulation, undertaking focus groups and working closely with the NHS.
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So so impressive and shows a huge awareness of the sheer amount of plastics used in the medical industry. How did you prepare for the grand final?
I practised my pitch a lot! In the mirror, to my family. I think even they knew it off by heart by the time the final came around! Our CSO worked very hard with me on the content of the slides and refining our pitch – the science and our business model alone is quite a mouthful to explain.
We worked hard to produce a PowerPoint which allowed the judges and audience to understand both- whilst being straight to the point delivering the facts and sharing our passion!
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When you arrived at the venue on the day, how did you feel and what did you expect?
When I arrived I was mainly excited- being in the final was a huge opportunity for us and our concept. I was not expecting how magnificent the Verizon office would be! Of course I had some nerves but I knew we had a full day of preparation before the pitch!
The Unloc team were incredibly supportive, both on the run up to the day (sorting logistics of transportation, accommodation, and catering) and on the day itself. On the day they spent a lot of time ensuring we were comfortable- we even did a full dress rehearsal!
We got some really helpful key tips and feedback before the final, and even warmed up our vocal chords! I felt so prepared! All the Unloc staff went above and beyond and were incredibly friendly and supportive!
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What did you think of the other finalists and their business ideas?
The judges definitely had a tough choice! The other finalists were all so friendly – it was a pleasure to pitch alongside them! They all had fantastic ideas which I know will go on to make significant impacts in the field of sustainability!
We also all got on really well on the day and have been in touch with each other since! I’m excited to follow their journey too!
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When the big moment came to do your pitch how did you find it?
When it came to presenting my pitch in front of the audience, judges and cameras for the livestream I actually felt really confident! I knew I had put in the preparation for my pitch and I had been uplifted by the Unloc and Verizon team all day – I was ready to show off our hard work!!
Of course there is always the initial 30 seconds that you feel anxious but once you get into your stride it becomes really exciting!
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What did you think of the other finalist’s pitches, did anyone really stand out for their delivery or knowledge?
I still remember key points from all the finalists pitches- that shows the impact they had on me! They all delivered extremely well and were so knowledgeable! Their pitches had me hooked from start to finish (and we had listened to each other’s pitches quite a few times by that point).
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When they called your name as the winner, how did you feel?
I was totally shocked- everyone had impactful businesses with great pitches! All of the finalists’ deserve to be a winner! They all showed passion, and knowledge. I was over the moon with happiness that I won (I even had happy tears!) I was so happy that our work was being recognised!
10) How will you invest the £10,000 prize money?
We will use the money to run extrusion trials to produce enough material to do biodegradation studies with, and enough material to carry out commercial pilots with selected partners.
What would you say to anyone considering entering the next Young Entrepreneurs Challenge?
Don’t just consider! Apply! Never have I felt so empowered at a competition/event by the other finalists and the staff! I thoroughly enjoyed the day!
My top tip would be to get your passion across! All of the finalists get a support package!
You never know the next winner could be you!!
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Olivia thank you so much for catching up with us, you join our Hall of Entrepreneurial Fame with our previous Grand Prize Winners! I have no doubt there are amazing things ahead for both you and Symbiotex – we’ll be watching closely!
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Five young entrepreneurs have been named finalists in the latest Verizon/Unloc Young Entrepreneurs Challenge program to attract and empower Europe’s young business leaders of tomorrow.
The challenge, now in its fifth year, tasks youths between the ages of 16 and 25 to devise a tech-led business idea that enriches and benefits the lives of other people and the planet. This year’s top challenge ideas ranged from groundbreaking new sustainable fibers and low-cost green energy provision, to sectors such as agriculture and pharmaceutical health tech.
“Every year this challenge uncovers amazing young talent from across Europe and this year is no exception,” said Sanjiv Gossain, General Manager and Head of EMEA for Verizon Business. “It’s inspiring to see new innovative business concepts in the areas of sustainability and green energy across a diverse range of industries.”
The response to this year’s competition was bigger and more competitive than ever, featuring 130 entries from a broad swath of countries across Europe including the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Finland and Greece. These entries were narrowed down to five finalists.
“The sheer standard of entries this year is just simply phenomenal,” said Hayden Taylor, Managing Director of Unloc. “Young people are really showing that they have what it takes to think for themselves, carve their own futures and forge their own enterprises. Shortlisting this year was very, very difficult, our five finalists are all so impressive – it’s going to be a really close competition!“
The five 2023 finalists going through to the grand final on Thursday 9th March are:
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Marion Cantillon (24) Ireland
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Marion’s business idea is for Pit Seal, an edible spray-on-solution for silage pit coverage that creates a zero-waste circular economy in agriculture. Existing plastic sheeting and tyre methods are a challenge and a hazard to farmers, and the environmental damage of plastic and tyres are renowned in the industry, and cause many accidents in agriculture.
Pit Seal reduces the time spent covering the pit and subsequently fixing and adjusting the sheeting after harsh weather during the winter months. Numerous research studies have shown the positive effects of decreasing methane emissions by adding seaweed to animal feed as the biofilm is seaweed based – it reduces the methane emissions once consumed by livestock. Pit Seal’s long-term aim is to be a leader in sustainable farming products particularly in Beef and Dairy farming.
Anjali Benny Devadasan (20) UK
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Anjali’s company Synergy aims to decrease greenhouse emissions from rail transport by generating low-cost renewable energy. 80% of the motion resistance trains face is caused by simple air resistance, leading to large portions of energy on railways being uselessly dissipated. Due to this, rail traction currently produces almost 3 mega tonnes of CO2, the same as 2019-20. This does not align with the railway’s net-zero goals.
Synergy provides efficient, recyclable, vertical-axis wind turbines, which rotate due to the turbulent airflow of passing vehicles. The modular design is low-cost and easy to install and maintain, uses available land and has negligible noise pollution. The turbines have high energy efficiency of 40% and are made using recyclable and/or upcycled parts from the automotive industry. Also, they have safety mechanisms and wildlife prevention sensors to protect animals from both turbines and transport.
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Evan Gwyne Davies (25) UK
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Evan’s business Scrapp is a mobile app and tablet station that separates waste. With a quick scan of a barcode, Scrapp shows exactly how to dispose of a product’s packaging correctly according to local authority recycling rules. Scrapp has built a database that knows the recycling rules across all of the UK, USA and Canada, servicing 400 million people.
Businesses can license tablet stations to position above their waste streams. Using the same technology as the app it turns any bin into a smart bin. Scrapp services reduce contaminated recycling in their corporate office buildings, conferences and events spaces or customer-facing venues. The tablet stations allow customers to track waste in their vicinity and report CO2 emissions for their Scope 3 analysis.
Idan Gal-Shohet (22) UK
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Fashion brands face a significant challenge in finding truly sustainable, affordable, and scalable materials. The industry is a major contributor to global emissions and water consumption, accounting for 8% and 215 trillion litres respectively. Idan’s company Fibe aims to revolutionise the industry using cutting-edge technology to extract cellulosic fibres from potato harvest waste. This waste, which amounts to 250M tonnes annually, cannot be fed to livestock or compost, and has the potential to provide 160% of global clothing demand.
Fibe purchases this waste from farmers and transforms it into fibres that are compatible with conventional textile machinery. Despite being a novel process, using waste as a raw material allows Fibe to sell their fibres competitively with cotton and polyester. Fibe’s fibres use 99.7% less water, produce 82% fewer pollutants, and require no land compared to cotton. Sustainable and meeting several SDGs. Every shirt made from Patacel saves 2,700 litres of fresh water , 2 square meters of land, and over 225 kgs of CO2 from being emitted, as well as providing additional income to farmers and their rural communities.
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Olivia Simpson (21) UK
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Olivia’s company Symbiotex have a mission to create sustainable materials for global health. In the medical industry single-use plastic is everywhere, with a mere 5% of it recycled- equating to roughly 10,000 London buses of medical plastic waste going to incineration or landfill annually in the UK alone. Symbiotex use waste cooking oils and algae to create the first range of home compostable 3D printable filaments. Their materials match the functionality of plastic but are compostable.
The filaments can be used for 3D printing or made into pellets for injection moulding. Their medical products include pregnancy tests, diagnostic tests and inhalers. Symbiotex’s home compostable bio-based pellets can easily substitute the current plastic pellets used in manufacturing without the pharmaceutical company even needing to change their machinery or process, ensuring an easy and quick transition and maximum sustainability.
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What happens next?
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The five finalists will now compete for the grand prize during a live event, where they will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges that includes former winner Rowan Armstrong, as well as invited guests in business and education. Judges for the Grand Final include:
Antony Tompkins, Associate Director Global Integrated Solutions, Verizon Business
Lorraine Stockle, Associate Director, EMEA Talent Acquisition, Verizon
Ella Robertson McKay, Managing Director One Young World
Sara Diegoli, Unloc Advisory Board
Rowan Armstrong, CEO and Co-Founder BioLiberty
The grand final will be live-streamed on Twitter and LinkedIn. The top winner receives £10,000, mentorship, and a technology support package to help kickstart their business proposal.
Each runner-up will receive £1,000 to fund their start up business, a personalised development plan that focuses on the winner’s key priorities, as well as access to a series of masterclasses over the next year that will pair the winner with a variety of industry experts.
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For more information on the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge click here!
About Unloc
Unloc was founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders and advocates Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling. Our mission is to empower young people to be innovative changemakers who seek to build stronger communities and sustainable businesses. We develop young people’s skills, enhance their potential and boost their determination to succeed. This is encapsulated in our ‘Developing Young Potential’ tag-line.
We work towards our mission by delivering inspiring educational programmes in our growing network of schools and colleges, our physical Changemaker Studios spaces in Portsmouth and London, and work with business leaders to deliver a range of programmes that help us achieve our mission.
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $128.3 billion in 2020. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.
VERIZON’S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at https://www.verizon.com/about/media-center.
News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.
Applied for the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge 2023 yet? Our Europe-wide competition in partnership with Verizon Business aims to discover the best of up and coming new business talent, and is officially open for applications!
Now in its fifth year, the dynamic competition uncovering new business minds is open for young people across Europe aged between 16-25 years old.
With a focus on technology, digital, sustainability and the environment, entrants will submit their tech-led start-up business concept online.
Five finalists will be chosen from the entries, and they’ll go head to head pitching their business idea, concept or start-up to a panel of expert judges at the Grand Final in the Spring.
The winner will claim a £10,000 (€11,000) Grand Prize, mentorship, and a technology package to launch their business.
In addition, they will also receive a ticket to attend the Global One Young World Summit in Belfast in October 2023.
“It’s hard to believe we’re now in our fifth year of the competition,” said Hayden Taylor, Managing Director of Unloc ”Year upon year we’ve seen the sheer quality and standard of entries from budding young entrepreneurs rise. Last year’s competition in particular attracted some truly outstanding young people, with amazing leadership and business skills, an exceptionally high standard.”
“We were absolutely blown away and had a really difficult time choosing an overall winner. I know we, and our partners Verizon are looking forward to seeing what talent from across Europe the competition attracts this year.”
To enter, entrants are asked to record a 60-90 second video, as well as completing an online application form outlining their business idea.
Applications will be judged based on their viability, technology innovation and sustainability.
The finalists will then compete head-to-head in a Grand Finale held in February 2023, pitching their business concept live to a panel of expert judges and invited guests representing both the worlds of business and education.
Winner of the Young Entrepreneur Challenge 2022 Nick Cotter
Nick Cotter of Cotter Agritech was crowned the winner of the 2022 Verizon/Unloc Young Entrepreneurs Challenge. Nick’s company, based in Limerick, Ireland, have a vision to dramatically reduce chemical use in agriculture while improving productivity and profitability.
Nick and his Brother Jack developed a system that uses advanced algorithms to enable livestock farmers to identify and target animals that need treatment with anti-parasitic drugs without blanket treating the entire flock or herd.
Nick’s triumphant victory won €11,000 for Cotter Agritech, funding, a business mentor package and entry to the 2022 One Young World Global Summit.
Nick said: “Enter, because the sooner you find out whether it’s a good or bad idea, the sooner you find the right idea, and the sooner you can have an impact and achieve your ambitions. It’s just a fabulous experience to be a part of.“
“Startups go through 6-7 life and death moments every year, and some even every month, so awards like this are of huge value in terms of being undeniable achievements that you can’t deny from yourself, and you can look at them and they will give you the confidence to go with the idea, and keep moving forward.”
“We have invested in the production of video testimonials with test farmers who used the solution in 2021, so the funding has been of huge immediate value in kickstarting our launch and accelerating uptake and adoption, and we’re very grateful to Unloc and Verizon for their support.”
Click here to read Nick’s full interview.
Click here to read more information about entering or apply!
About Unloc
Unloc was founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling. The organisation’s mission is to empower young people to be innovative changemakers who seek to build stronger communities and sustainable businesses.
The organisation is focused on developing young people’s skills, enhancing their potential and boosting their determination to succeed. Unloc works towards achieving its mission by delivering inspiring educational programmes, including on entrepreneurship and self-employment, in our network of 100+ schools and colleges in the UK and beyond.
To find out more about Unloc and all our latest news visit: unloc.org.uk/news
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $128.3 billion in 2020.
The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.
It’s now been several weeks since Nick Cotter was crowned the Grand Prize Winner of the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge! Each year, Unloc and our partner Verizon seek out the best of fresh young business talent from across Europe.
The Winner receives £10,000 funding for their business idea, a mentorship package, support, and entry to the One Young World Global Summit.
Nick, from Ireland beat amazingly fierce competition from the other finalists, and impressed our judging panel with his idea for a system for livestock farmers to better use anti-parasitic drugs, reducing the impact on biodiversity, bringing down costs and preventing parasitic resistance.
We caught up with Nick to hear about how things are progressing and how we found the overall experience of entering the competition.
Nick, again congratulations on your win! You did an amazing job at our Grand Final. For those that missed it, introduce yourself and tell us about your business idea!
“Thanks! I’m Nick Cotter, and i’m the co-founder of Cotter Agritech, we are a Limerick-based start-up, founded by myself and my brother Jack. We have a vision to dramatically reduce chemical use in agriculture while improving productivity and profitability. Our company has developed a system that uses advanced algorithms to enable livestock farmers transition from blanket treating animals with anti-parasitic drugs, to a very precise application – by identifying and targeting only the animals that need treatment.
This approach reduces anti-parasitic drug use by up to 50%, which reduces costs, prevents against parasite resistance, and reduces impacts on biodiversity. We concluded research trials in 2021 with UCD, QUB, and 18 commercial farmers across Ireland and the UK, which has validated our solution. The hardware and software products are now being launched in Ireland and the UK at the LAMMA agri show in Birmingham this week 4th-5th May 2021”.
That’s so exciting! We wish you every success with the launch this week. What made you think the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge was the right competition for you to enter?
“It’s a very prestigious European competition. You just have to look at the previous winners and where they have gone since to see the quality of each year’s entrants.
I expected it to be highly competitive (which it indeed was!) but I thought if we could tell our story in a compelling manner, that we had every shot of winning the grand final. We also thought that if we could get access to Verizon and Unloc’s expertise through this competition, that it would accelerate our development and move us forward.”
The final was quite a nerve wracking event, how did you feel in the days beforehand?
“We felt both tense and excited in the days leading up to it. We were hard at work prepping the pitch and doing mock Q&A’s to be ready for anything the judges might throw at us. I believe the work is done in training, so we really focused on that to be well prepared for the final.”
How did you find the Grand Final and delivering your pitch to the panel?
“By the time the final came around I was reasonably relaxed to be honest, as I knew we had done everything we could do in the days before to prepare ourselves and give the best chance of success.
The pitch is very tight at 5 mins – but it’s a great exercise to condense your idea, and put focus around it. The panel was testing but we have been working on this for 2 years now so we know our idea inside out, and I was able to answer the questions confidently and concisely.”
Were you shocked when you were announced as the winner?
“To even be shortlisted for the final was a huge honour, so to win was an absolute bonus. I couldn’t believe we had won, it was just unbelievable. The quality of the other 4 finalists was very high – medtech, sustainable clothing, the other ideas were very current and relevant to the challenges of the current global climate.
As an ag-tech startup it’s a very important award from a support point of view. Agriculture is under significant pressure to become more productive to feed the projected 10 billion people by 2050, and to also meet ambitious sustainability targets.
It’s a huge boost to have Verizon and Unloc recognise the innovation ongoing in Agriculture, to shine a light on it, and support this type of innovation. It’s a huge vote of confidence in sustainable animal production.
We are just over the moon, and so proud of the thousands of hours this team has put into bringing this to fruition.”
It was so well deserved, truly. How are you investing your £10,000 prize funding?
“We have invested it in the production of video testimonials with test farmers who used the solution in 2021. We just recorded them recently, and they will be published alongside our launch at the LAMMA show this week. So the funding has been of huge immediate value in kickstarting our launch and accelerating uptake and adoption, and we’re very grateful to Unloc and Verizon for their support.”
What are your ambitions for Cotter Agritech and where would you like to see the business go in the future?
“We want to operate on a global scale – we’ve chosen to solve a global problem so the ambition is to make our solution accessible to all sheep farmers around the world to deliver this value to all farmers, and eventually move onto solving the same problem for cattle and goat farmers too.
As someone who grew up on a sheep farm, there are a lot more problems to solve and we just see these as opportunities. So I see Cotter Agritech becoming an industry leader in animal agtech, solving more problems for livestock farmers to help them become more productive, profitable, sustainable and viable going forward.”
We will be monitoring your progress closely! What would you say to any other aspiring young people out there considering entering this year’s Young Entrepreneurs Challenge?
“Just go and do it – enter, because the sooner you find out whether it’s a good or bad idea, the sooner you find the right idea, and the sooner you can have an impact and achieve your ambitions. It’s just a fabulous experience to be a part of.
Startups go through 6-7 life and death moments every year, and some even every month, so awards like this are of huge value in terms of being undeniable achievements that you can’t deny from yourself, and you can look at them and they will give you the confidence to go with the idea, and keep moving forward.”
Nick, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us, good luck with everything at the LAMMA launch this week, and we shall catch up with you again so check on your progress!
For more information about Cotter Agritech, their business and the products they supply, click here.
Could you be our next Winner?
Keep an eye on our News page for the latest news and information on the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge as and when it becomes available.
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