Students from across the College got a first taste of entrepreneurship thanks to a new competition from Imperial Enterprise Lab.

The Ideas Marketplace challenged budding entrepreneurs to come up with an innovative idea for a new business, product, or service, before ‘hawking their wares’ for a chance to win a £500 top prize.

­The event was the finale of the Ideas Challenge competition, which drew more than a hundred applications. Just over 30 students were selected to pitch their idea at the Marketplace, where attendees were given ‘Enterprise Lab Dollars’ to back their favourite ideas.

The winner of the event was Nana Owusu-Nyantekyi, a postgraduate student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, who developed the idea for a smart pressure-mapping sock that could help people with diabetes avoid diabetic ulcers.

The socks would have sensors integrated into the fabric, which could give the wearer important information about the way that they’re walking, pressure on their feet, and whether they might be at risk of developing an ulcer.

Nana said: “Patients with diabetes are at risk of developing nerve damage, known as diabetic neuropathy, in their feet. This loss of sensation can lead to injuries, blisters and pressure points going unnoticed on the foot, leading to ulcers.

“My idea was to develop a way to empower patients to take action before ulcers develop by giving them timely information about whether they are at risk.”

Nana is also exploring whether the socks could have useful applications for athletes, or in jobs that require people to spend a lot of time on their feet – such as in the military.

Ben Mumby-Croft, Director of Imperial Enterprise lab, said: "We were delighted to host such a vibrant event that demonstrated the breadth of talent & truly innovative ideas being created by students. Imperial Enterprise Lab and Imperial College Advanced Hackspace are at the forefront of bringing these ideas to fruition at Imperial. Tonight demonstrates the increasing ambition of students to develop entrepreneurially."

Enterprise Champions

At the event, the Enterprise Lab also recognised staff and students who have championed entrepreneurship with the inaugural Enterprise Lab Awards.

The Startup of the Year award was presented to student startup Humanising Autonomy, who are developing technology to help humans communicate with driverless cars on the road. Their platform uses machine learning to interpret the hand gestures and body language of pedestrians.

Student Entrepreneur of the Year went to postgraduate student Charlotte McIntyre, who was runner up in last year’s WE Innovate competition for women entrepreneurs. She is designing artificial intelligence software to improve the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, while balancing her work as a Head & Neck Surgical Registrar and studying for a PhD in Department of Surgery and Cancer.

The Israeli Society were presented with the Student Society of the Year award for their success in organising a student trip to explore the entrepreneurial landscape of Israel.

The awards also recognised staff who have gone above and beyond to support the student entrepreneurial journey at Imperial. Julia McShane, Student Experience Manager at Imperial College Business School, was recognised for her efforts to connect Business School students with the wider enterprising student community at Imperial, and Rebecca Middleton, Education Manager for the Faculty of Natural Sciences received an award for helping hundreds of students to explore their entrepreneurial potential through the Faculty of Natural Sciences Make a Difference (FoNS MaD) and Faculty’s School’s Science competitions.