Imperial entrepreneurs come out top at the Palace

A device which helps people harness their body's response to rhythm has led an Imperial team to success at a competition hosted by the Duke of York.

Alumni Nell Bennett, Jack Hooper, Fotini Markopoulou and Andreas Bilicki, who make up Team Turqioise, were voted the winners of the People’s Choice Award at Pitch@Palace 3.0 last week for their wearable-technology product Doppel.

Members of Team Turquoise Fotini Markopoulou and Jack Hooper with the Duke of York

Doppel uses the principle of entrainment - the body's tendency to synchronise with external rhythmns -  to help users relax or energise themselves.

Worn on the wrist, the device delivers a pulse which can be sped up or slowed down by the wearer depending on the desired effect. The team claim that Doppel produces a similar response to listening to upbeat or downbeat music.

The team developed their idea as their Group Project on the Innovation Design Engineering (IDE) course – a programme run jointly by Imperial and the Royal College of Art.

Pitch@Palace is an initiative championed by the Duke of York which aims to encourage entrepreneurship by connecting start-up companies with potential investors and mentors. Team Turquoise were one of 42 companies competing for the People's Choice award – which was decided by public vote.

The results were announced at St James' Palace on Monday 23 March, where three overall Pitch@Palace winners – decided by an audience of CEOs, investors and members of the business community, were also revealed.

Knowledge and determination

Nell Bennett, from Team Turqoise, said: “The most exciting part of the Pitch@Palace experience was seeing how many people believe in Doppel. We had people from all over the world voting for us to win and voicing their support. This has really given us the confidence and drive to take our product forward and make it a success.

“We're now looking forward to launching our crowdfunding campaign later later this year and getting manufacture of Doppel underway”

Team Turquoise's success follows a visit made by the Duke of York to Imperial on Friday 6 March, where he was introduced to some of the College’s entrepreneurship activities.

HRH The Duke of York said: “I am immensely proud of the achievements of the Entrepreneurs in the Pitch@Palace programme, they have shone a light on the diversity and imagination across the country, clearly demonstrating that pursuing an idea or dream can be realised with knowledge and determination.”

“Congratulations to Team Turquoise winning Pitch@Palace 3.0 Peoples Choice.  They clearly epitomise Imperial’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship which I saw first-hand during my visit earlier this month”