Ideas Challenge Prize Giving

The Entrepreneurs’ Challenge is one of the world’s biggest student business plan competitions. This term prize giving for the “Ideas Challenge”, the initial part of the competition, takes place on 9 December

Ideas Challenge Prize Giving
Thursday 9 December, 18:00-19:00
Mechanical Engineering 220

The Entrepreneurs' Challenge, now in its fifth year, is one of the world's biggest student business plan competitions. This term the "Ideas Challenge", the first part of the competition, asks students for a 2-3 page summary of a business idea.  Ten £1,000 prizes and ten £250 prizes will be awarded to the winners at this stage at the prize giving event on Thursday 9 December.

Next term, the "New Business Challenge" offers students the opportunity to present a full business plan for a chance to win the first prize of £25,000 in cash and services, one of two runners up prizes of £5,000 in cash and services one of seven finalist £1,000 prizes.

David Begg, Principal of Tanaka Business School, will be awarding the prizes to this year's Ideas Challenge winners and runners up. All are welcome to come to the prize giving and judge for yourself as the winners try to convince you of their idea through their elevator pitches, and to join us afterwards to celebrate with festive drinks and nibbles in the Tanaka Business School.

The Challenge is open to all Imperial College students, undergraduate and postgraduate, and is run by the Entrepreneurship Centre in the Tanaka Business School. Students do not need to have prior business or commercial experience to enter.  Previous winners have come from a variety of departments, including Physics, Medicine, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering and Biological Sciences.

Teams who have taken part in the Entrepreneurs' Challenge have been successful in London-wide as well as international business plan competitions, proving Imperial's students' to be among the best at developing and presenting ideas.  Some teams have also gone on to raise investment capital to make their businesses a reality.

The competition attracts companies such as McKinsey, IBM, Psion, Shell, HP, HSBC, Barclays Capital, Amadeus Capital and Innocent Drinks to sponsor the competition or pass on their expertise to our students, meaning entrants have a wealth of experience available to them as they put their business plans together.

If you would like to join us for the Ideas Challenge Prize Giving on Thursday 9 December please email the Challenge team: challenge@imperial.ac.uk.