“Well, what a year it has been! We saw the opening of Helix and our first ever Enterprise Zone on campus. We witnessed the immediate impact of our makerspace where students can come and design, build and produce prototypes of their new inventions.”
Kairen Skelley
Head of Business Start-Up, University of Leeds
We introduced our new student enterprise strategy of “Discover, Learn, Launch” where all students can experience enterprise activities at lots of different levels from our freelancer programme to business simulation competitions. This highlights the close collaboration Spark has with the academic teaching of enterprise, something which has been strengthened and developed over the 18 years of our existence.
Our enterprising students brought TedX to the campus, a hugely successful event, and the Entrepreneurship Society increased its membership and number of events, one of which saw over 150 students attend a welcome in Helix. Enactus continues to impress.
Our Enterprise Scholarships this year saw double the number of entries, with the highest quality of applications and ideas, and the December bootcamp at Weetwood Hall brought our network together to continually inspire and motivate.
Our annual Business Plan Competition received the largest number of applications ever and the judges were presented with the most physical prototypes, a direct result of the makerspaces.
The annual Sir Peter Thompson Awards dinner in May was a massive success and was closely followed by a reception at the House of Lords where alumni and current Spark supported businesses met in an attempt to raise more donations towards enterprise at the University.
Enterprise is now a key pillar of the University strategy. Our alumni and business donors make all the difference when it comes to helping our new entrepreneurs and we really appreciate their donations. Many Spark alumni businesses are donating back to us to help the next generation of founders and that is pretty special and unique, and many have attended our Entrepreneurs Exchange events as speakers. Our network is vital.
But what of the future?
We have big plans for enterprise here at Leeds. Discover programmes will reach many more students, providing access points to engage with enterprise. September will see the launch of our Earthshot Entrepreneurs Club, and we are seeking global collaborations which will change the face of enterprise at Leeds.
Quiet year? Quiet future? I don’t think so!
Economic Impact
The economic impact of Spark Businesses throughout 2023 and 2024.
Revenue Generated
Business Start-Ups
External Funding leveraged
FTE Jobs Created
Patents Pending
Patents Awarded
Ownership Breakdown
The ownership breakdown of Spark businesses throughout 2023 and 2024.
Service
Tech
Social Enterprise
Retail
Faculty Breakdown
Breakdown by faculty of Spark Businesses throughout 2023 and 2024.
Arts, Humanities & Culture
Engineering & Computing
Leeds University Business School
Biological Sciences
Medicine & Health
Education, Social Sciences & Law
Environment
Spark Businesses
Spark Businesses 2024
2nd Prize Pre-Trading Winner
Swim Sets
Iona Elborough-Whitehouse and Claire Sutton
3rd Prize Pre-Trading Winner
Toothpik
Josh Nivern
Recognised Spark Business
MiGreenKitchen
Erin Wilkins and Philippa Chilcott
Recognised Spark Business
Timeguessr
Gus Owen
Recognised Spark Business
Katherine James Jewellery
Katherine James
Recognised Spark Business
Golden Chrysanthemum
Harvey Oliver
Recognised Spark Business
Breathe & Birth
Sarah Clayton
1st Prize Pre-Trading Winner
Klip
Tom Milner
Recognised Spark Business
InclusiFits
Elita Atwere
Recognised Spark Business
Wigram Drones
Marcus Hill
Recognised Spark Business
Newway Biotech UK
Tanweer Hassan & Faizaan Noyda
Business Plan Competition Award Winner
Recognised Spark Business
Enterprise Scholarships
Twenty student entrepreneurs attended the Spark 2023 Enterprise Scholarship bootcamp – an intensive 2-day residential event at Weetwood Hall on 18-19 December.
The Enterprise Scholarship bootcamp has run since 2008 and to date has delivered a programme of workshops covering everything from financial, legalities, marketing, business planning and pitching to over 200 student entrepreneurs.
A unique feature of bootcamps in recent years is the delivery of presentations by Spark alumni, now running their own successful businesses, who generously return to support the next generation of entrepreneurs alongside Spark’s network of professional service advisers.
One such alumnus, Ravi Toor (BA Environment and Business, 2017) is the founder of the international 3D printing filament business focused on reducing environmental impact by prioritising recycled materials and bioplastics. A former Enterprise Scholar and winner of the University’s most prestigious award for enterprise, the Sir Peter Thompson Award, Ravi now regularly presents at bootcamp and generously gives two days of this time to sit on the panel that judges the Scholarship applications. He says: “It feels slightly surreal being in this position, especially as I know exactly how each of the scholars are feeling at the beginning of their business venture journey. I’ve been so fortunate in the support I received from Spark and I know how much of a platform it can be to business success, so it’s great to be able to pass on what I’ve learned along the way”.
Among the bootcamp delegates this year was Enterprise Scholar and 3rd Year BSc Midwifery student, Sarah Clayton. Sarah has already qualified as a hypnobirthing practitioner to give pregnant women an alternative pain relief option. She will be offering the service privately next year and ultimately hopes to see the option being offered widely through NHS Trusts. Please refer to Sarah’s case study to find out more.
Enterprise Scholar Matt Twitchen (final year, BSc Music, Multimedia and Electronics) won the 2023 Sir Peter Thompson Award with business partners Sol Harter and Franklin Plowman for their decibel meter business Ludwig Devices. Matt echoed Sarah’s sentiment, saying: “I arrived at Bootcamp not knowing what I didn’t know. The legal sessions were particularly valuable for our technology business, and we’ve learned about all sorts of grants and financial support we weren’t aware of which we can apply for. It was also really motivational to hear the presentations from the former scholars, those who’ve already trodden the path we’re on and seeing where they are now. Overall it was a fantastic experience and we have left with a better idea of what our next steps need to be”.
Applications open for the 2024/25 Enterprise Scholarship Programme open on Monday 9th Sept and close at 10am on Friday 1st November. For more details click here.
Business Plan Competition
Serial entrepreneurship seized the day in the University’s flagship Business Plan Competition organised by Spark, with winners in both the Trading and Pre-trading categories developing their second business venture.
The competition is in its 18th year and is open to current students and graduates.
With cash prizes totalling £11,500, the 2024 Competition saw almost double the entries than 2023, making judging especially challenging. Shortlisted entries required applicants to present their business ideas to a judging panel, which Spark’s Student Enterprise and Incubation Manager, Brian Baillie, described as “simply outstanding”.”
1st Place: Trading
AutoSqueak
Zhenyu Li
In the Trading category, Economics graduate Zhenyu Li won the £2k first prize for a business allied to his already successful company AutoSqueak, a leading supplier of car cleaning products which turned over some £800k in 2023. With deep knowledge of his sector, Zhenyu is taking on major players such as Eurocar Parts and Halfords by launching an e-commerce platform where individual motorists and automotive repair shops can directly source ‘automotive aftermarket’ products and parts. The platform will also use artificial intelligence to help users source exactly the right product, matched to the vehicle’s make and model.
Zhenyu said: “My platform will deliver a cost-effective and technologically advanced online marketplace that connects UK car owners and repair shops with a global supply network.”
1st Place: Pre-Trading
Klip
Tom Milner
Winner in the Pre-Trading category was Tom Milner, a final year Electronics and Computer Engineering student. Tom already holds an Enterprise Scholarship for a separate digital music streaming venture, but his latest winning idea is an innovative 3-D printed bracket to wall-mount houseplants without screws or permanent fixings. The Klip product solves the problem faced by students and others in the rental market who aren’t allowed to make alterations to their accommodation. It’s also a great solution for anyone not great at DIY!
Tom said: “Having this recognition from the experts on the judging panel is a fantastic boost and the £2k prize money will be really helpful to do more product testing to improve the design and experiment with colours and branding ahead of launching Klip hopefully later this year.”
Speaking at the Awards lunch in March held in University House, Kairen Skelley, Head of Business Start-up at Spark said: “This was another year of superb business plans. It’s such an honour to work with such talented and insightful entrepreneurs.”
Two £1000 ‘special recognition’ prizes were awarded by Nick Howard of Limehouse – himself a former Business Plan Competition winner. Nick chose Alex Neish’s outdoor clothing company Chameleon Concealment which makes photo-realistic camouflage for players of airsoft, a paintball-style team game; and secondly, Jay Brown’s company JBS Sourcing, a distributor of popular branded products that uses Amazon’s fulfilment services to streamline sales, returns and customer service.
A final one-off award was made to Spark’s own Richard Doyle, retiring after 17 years supporting Spark’s work, including organising the Business Plan Competition awards event and the stunning glass trophies the winners receive alongside their cash prizes. Richard was presented with his own trophy as a thank you for his long service. He will be missed tremendously by the Spark team, and the wider Spark community.
Full List of Winners
Trading Category
- First prize - £2000: Zhenyu Li, AutoSqueak Ltd
- Second prize - £1250: Trib Gosain (International Business and Marketing, 2020) and business partner Reid Jacoby for Gilley, an innovative new umbrella design
- Third prize - £750 each: Jay Brown (Y4, Business Management), JSB Sourcing Ltd and Sarah Jane Clayton (Y3 Midwifery) for Breathe and Birth, providing hypnobirthing and birth education classes
- Limehouse special recognition award - £1000: Jay Brown, JSB Sourcing Ltd
Pre-Trading Category
- 1st prize - £2000: Tom Milner for the Klip wall-mounted houseplant bracket
- 2nd prize - £1250: Iona Elborough-Whitehouse (current MSc Management Consulting) and business partner Claire Sutton for Swimsets - waterproof resources for swimmers and swim teachers to use at the poolside
- Joint 3rd prize - £750 each: Alex Neish (Y3 Fine Art with History of Art), Chameleon Concealment; and Dr Joshua Nivern (BSC Medicine 2016) for ToothPik, a patient-facing dentalcare comparison website
- Limehouse special recognition award - £1000: Alex Neish, Chameleon Concealment
The Sir Peter Thompson Award
The 2024 Sir Peter Thompson Award, supported by Michael Collins of Goldcrest Custom Homes Ltd – the University’s most prestigious award for entrepreneurship - has been won by International Business and Marketing graduate Trib Gosain and his business partner Reid Jacoby for their business, Gilley Ltd.
Trib and Reid’s bold ambition is to both create the best umbrella in the world and build the next iconic British brand. “Our aim is to elevate a purely functional product into something that is aesthetically elegant, synonymous with high end quality and something that people aspire to own because of the essence and heritage of the brand itself – like Hunter wellington boots,” says Trib.
The Gilley umbrella is windproof, with a reinforced structure so it won’t blow inside out. It also has a unique feature that makes losing your umbrella almost impossible – and a lightweight but sturdy case that doubles as a handle. This means that a wet umbrella can be safely stored in its watertight case, rather than being put aside to dry and easily forgotten.
Gilley started trading at the end of 2023 and has already seen sales of over £150,000. The launch follows a month-long campaign on the fundraising platform Kickstarter, which raised their target finance within ten minutes of going live. This catapulted Gilley into the top 2% of Kickstarter campaigns of all time, and made the founders realise that their instincts were right and that they were onto something big!
“I graduated in 2020 and hadn’t realised that the University supports entrepreneurs up to seven years after graduation like this,” says Trib. “By complete chance I was still subscribed to Spark emails and came across one about the Business Plan Competition, so we entered and came second, which was fantastic. And now the Sir Peter Thompson Award – winning this is such an honour! The £5K prize is wonderful timing as we’re currently fundraising again so that we can make further refinements to the Gilley design. Although we are now based in London, it is great to know we have Spark advisors offering their expertise and fresh perspectives to draw on.”
Kairen Skelley, Head of Business Start-up at Spark, which runs the award, said: “Gilley has it all – this is clearly a very high-quality product already, with huge market potential, and Trib and Reid demonstrated clear future growth plans with a great handle on the financial aspects of the business. The judges were all extremely impressed by the ambition to re-imagine and elevate a humble, everyday product into a contemporary aspirational brand.”
Working from offices near London Bridge, Trib and Reid are delighted when friends and colleagues tell them they spotted a Gilley being used. “Ironically, we have yet to see one ourselves ‘in the wild’ as we call it, but I know we’ll be so excited when we do. Reid and I may be the only people in the UK that check the weather forecasts and hope for rain!”
The Student Enterprise Strategy
It is clear and well proven that students can be taught entrepreneurial skills if they are given the opportunities to try, fail, learn and try again. Indeed most of those who “have it in them” still need to try, fail, learn and try again and it is the role of the enterprise offering at the University of Leeds to provide these opportunities in a safe, secure environment before they experience the world of commerce and business.
This is one of the reasons we have developed the three principal underlying strategies for enterprise: “Discover, Learn, Launch”.
Discover
This is a new development and a key element to the success of student enterprise at Leeds. “Discover” brings enterprise to the whole campus, not just to those who deliberately seek out the levels of support on offer. Its aim is to provide a wide range of opportunities for all students to engage in some form of enterprise activity, to allow existing Spark supported businesses the chance to give back in a hands-on practical way through coaching or mentoring, and to develop a campus with an entrepreneurial mindset. Already we have introduced the Business Simulation Challenge, the Freelancer Programme and additional specialist workshops. Next semester will see the launch of the Earthshot Entrepreneurs Club, mini business bootcamps in faculties, hackathons, innovation sprints and learning lunches. Plans for outreach and WP support as well as a sandpit programme are being developed. “Discover” is a co-curricular programme.
Learn
At the University, there are many opportunities to “Learn” through taking modules and “with enterprise” degree courses. These are not limited to the Business School and are available to all students across campus. “Learn” is a curricular programme.
Launch
Spark, the University’s business start-up service, is a well-established and much respected division with a sophisticated offering, highlighted in particular through the annual impact reports. The economic, social, cultural and environmental impact of the Spark supported businesses is clear for all to see and the network of founders both regionally, nationally and globally is impressive, with many of them donating back through philanthropic gifting which is dispersed to the next generation of young entrepreneurs. The “Launch” element is co-curricular.
Fellowship of Enterprise Educators UK
Kairen Skelley, Head of Spark Business Start Up, and Brian Baillie, Student Enterprise and Incubation Manager, have been awarded the highest accolade in the enterprise education sector.
It is the first time that two people from the same university have been awarded the Fellowship at the same time and reflects the strategic importance of student enterprise at the University of Leeds. Now recognised nationally by EEUK, the Spark team are extremely proud to add to our collection of awards for enterprise.
Entrepreneurs Exchange
Every two months, Spark organises Entrepreneurs Exchange, an event which brings together our young entrepreneurs to a round table discussion about their issues, problems, good news stories and successes. It is a great forum to hear from other business owners and share best practice and commercial opportunities.
Guest speakers from both alumni donors and Spark alumni businesses bring an added element of learning about the reality of the commercial world and the relaxed feel of the meeting means that everyone is welcome and included.
Entrepreneurs Exchange is a fabulous opportunity for alumni entrepreneurs to give back to the University and truly engage with the business leaders of the future.
Progressing Businesses
As well as supporting emerging entrepreneurs, Spark also enjoys maintaining relationships with many of the start-ups that have previously been through the programme, watching them grow and continuing to support them if required.
We Are Social Enterprise Founders Make Forbes List
James McBride and Lyndon Timings-Thompson, co-founders of We Are Social Enterprise, a Spark alumni recruitment business, have been recognised as some of Europe’s top young entrepreneurs following inclusion in Forbes’ 30 under 30 Europe list for 2024.
The directors of We Are Social Enterprise have been named in the top 30 business leaders under the age of 30 across Europe in the social impact category, having grown the business since its inception in 2018. Their mission is to create social value through recruitment and has placed more than 500 individuals into work with firms like Willmott Dixon and Morgan Sindall Construction since its launch. We Are Social Enterprise helps disadvantaged groups with employment through a variety of workshops which cover CV writing, interview skills, job searching and general employability skills.
Lyndon, Co-Founder of We Are Social Enterprise said: “We’re very honoured to have been named in the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list among many other talented individuals.
“We Are Social Enterprise is a business that is passionate about helping people overcome employment barriers, increase self-confidence, and raise awareness of the opportunities that are available to them. “We are incredibly proud of what we have been able to achieve. We love being based in Leeds, the support we have received from The University of Leeds and SPARK has been invaluable in helping us reach our goals and ambitions to date.”
Twin Sisters Publish The Brand Power Manifesto for Female Entrepreneurs
Buttercrumble is a creative design studio, established in 2017 by twin sisters Abigail and Chloe Baldwin. With a focus on delivering inclusive branding, graphics and illustrations that educate and connect the young and the young-at-heart, they have collaborated with high-profile brands including Mamas and Papas and Santander. They were shortlisted within the “100 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch” list by The Telegraph and NatWest.
Regulars in our Impact Reports over the years, Chloe and Abigail Baldwin, are twin sisters, business partners, and now co-authors. They were shaped by their modest upbringing and sought out their own opportunities. With no prior business experience (but fuelled by sheer determination) they established Buttercrumble, an award-winning creative studio based in Leeds.
Their inspiring but down-to-earth story is now immortalised in their debut book, The Brand Power Manifesto was published globally by BIS Publishers in May 2024. Designed and illustrated by the sisters themselves, this book encapsulates their journey and passion for building brands.
Through personal anecdotes, practical guidance, and engaging activities, The Brand Power Manifesto offers a roadmap for aspiring female entrepreneurs to build a sustainable business from the ground up. It's a testament to Chloe and Abigail's belief that success is within reach, regardless of one's background or circumstances.
Following the book’s successful launch event at Everyman Leeds, the authors are working on a series of workshops and events to support fellow business owners across Yorkshire. Current locations include Ilkley, Scarborough, and Leeds, and more dates are due to be promoted across Buttercrumble’s social media channels.
This story has not gone unnoticed. The book features a foreword by Sir John Sorrell and Lady Frances Sorrell, revered figures in the design industry and champions of creative education (through founding the National Saturday Club).
Co-author Abigail reflects, “We grew up without business experience or mogul connections. Yet, we could make a sustainable living from our passion. So, we want to inspire others — especially young women — interested in creative enterprise”.
The Brand Power Manifesto is a beacon of hope and possibility for young entrepreneurs. It’s available through a range of stockists, including independent booksellers and Waterstones. It invites readers to join Chloe and Abigail on their extraordinary journey from zero to hero, one page at a time.
Thank You From Spark
Thank you from the Spark team for reading our impact report.
We look forward to another enterprising year ahead!
