Posted Monday 12 February 2024
An innovative solution designed to help nurses reduce their workload and provide the best care was crowned the People's Choice winner at this year's Kingston University Bright Ideas competition.
The nineteenth annual final of the entrepreneurial contest saw students from across the University pitch their ideas before a group of experts in a Dragons' Den-style event.
Forty-nine entries across seven categories from all of the University's four faculties made it to the final with one £1,000 prize and one £250 prize awarded in each category. Additionally, an extra £500 was awarded to the People's choice winner after the audience of staff, students and industry experts voted for their favourite idea.
The students behind the IV Toolkit app are children's nursing undergraduates Brodie Callaway and Tadiwa Cheuka. "Its an app designed by nurses for nurses," Brodie explained. "It combines the lengthy guidelines we use in everyday medication preparation as well as a calculation tool. Its aim is to save time and give it back to the children who need it most."
Discussing her thoughts at being chosen as a winner, Tadiwa said, "It felt really good to know that people see a future in our idea and see it being helpful for the future of nurses. The most important thing I've learned from this competition is to be unapologetically authentic with your idea."
As well as the People's Choice award, a social media competition also took place on the University's Instagram account. This was won by Global Study AI, an idea created by Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship MSc student Atabak Iranizad to make it easier for international students to apply to UK universities.
The keynote speaker at the event, held at the University's award-winning Town House, was Jonathan Lewis. He is the former CEO of Capita and a Kingston University alumnus, having graduated with a BSc in geology in 1984. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the University for his contribution to business and philanthropy in July 2023.
Mr Lewis was impressed with the high standard of this year's competition. "The quality and enthusiasm of the students has blown me away," he said. "It's a pleasure to come back to the University and hear from the next generation of entrepreneurs. Attending Kingston was a transformative experience that set me up for my career and I am proud to be made in Kingston."
The competition begins at the start of the academic year with students having to progress through multiple pitches and assessments before making it to the final. The day itself sees another round of intensive pitching to industry experts before the winners are unveiled at an evening awards-ceremony.
Head of Enterprise Education Martha Mador praised all the students who entered the competition. "At Kingston, the learning journey to Future Skills is filled with opportunity," she said. "Bright Ideas shows just how exciting our wonderful, diverse, students are. We had around 800 students involved in entries this year, and around 100 pitched their ideas. The energy in the room was amazing."
The sponsors for this year's competition included Estonian ship building company LTH-Baas and Sainsbury Management Fellows Engineers in Business, who each sponsored categories and prizes aligned with their sectors. Elliot Wood, an engineering company, sponsored the Sustainability category.
Full list of Bright Ideas 2024 winners:
People's Choice winner: IV Toolkit App
Social Media winner: Global Study AI
Golden Ticket Networking winner: E-Pi
Business and Social Sciences winner: AI-Powered Caregiver Matching Platform
Engineering 1 winner: AlloyArmor
Engineering 2 winner: Excelsior
Health, Science, Social Care and Education winner: IV Toolkit App
Computer Science winner: MindfulScape VR
Kingson School of Art winner: Caire: A multifunctional hair oil
Sustainability winner: Renew Reward Network
12 November 2024
12 November 2024
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