IDEAFEST Final 2021

The IDEAFEST Student Business Idea Competition is an annual initiaitve that seeks to find the Henley Business School or University of Reading student with the best idea for a business. From over 20 submissions, six teams of students have been selected to present their ideas at the IDEAFEST Final to our panel of judges.

The IDEAFEST Final 2021 will be held on 28 April. The winner of IDEAFEST will be awarded a cash prize of £1,000 to spend on developing their business idea, with the additional prize of mentoring from business experts. There are also cash prizes for second and third places and an additional cash prize of another £1,000 for the best innovative idea. On top of this, there is a special China bursary open to full time MBA students for the best idea capable of being commercialised in China. This bursary is sponsored by Savio Kwan, the former President and Chief Operating Officer of Alibaba.

All University of Reading and Henley Business school students and staff are encouraged to be part of the audience to support the finalists as they pitch. Friends and family members of the finalists are also welcome!

The finalists are as follows:

- Alva Power, an environmentally focused business that works to repurpose electric vehicle batteries into green energy systems

- Cheers Beers, a company that works with micro-breweries to deliver craft beer and also offers virtual and in person tasting sessions

- CryptoBusy, a start-up that teaches people how to trade and invest in cryptocurrency

- MochiPops, an ice-cream business that specialises in vegan gelato

- ProppedUp, a real estate start-up that allows customers to invest in shares of buy-to-let student properties without the large capital needed to become a landlord

- Wardrobe, an app that analyses a consumer's current wardrobe and acts as a personal stylist by recommending clothing and accessories similar to the consumer's taste

The full schedule is outlined below:

2:00pm - Welcome and Introduction

2:15pm - Alva Power Presentation

2:30pm - Cheers Beers Presentation

2:45pm - CryptoBusy Presentation

3:00pm - Mochi Pops Presentation

3:15pm - ProppedUp Presentation

3:30pm - Wardrobe Presentation

3:45pm - Break

4:45pm - Results Announced

5:15pm - Closing Remarks

5:30pm - Finish

To register to be part of the audience for this event, click here.