Juggling and dropping your phone could now be a thing of the past thanks to an innovative idea by De Montfort University (DMU) students.
The Fox’s Lair is run by the faculty of Business and Law and allows students to pitch their business ideas to judges, to be in with the chance of winning a cash prize.
The overall winners of the 2018 competition, who received £1000 to help them set up their venture, were ‘Glue Case’ who pitched an anti-gravity phone case suitable for both Apple and Samsung products that can be attached to any hard surface, allowing you to watch tutorials and take selfies without a selfie stick.
Business HND students, Sulayman Savage, 49, Jelena Rama, 33 and Panna Khatun, 19, are the brains behind ‘Glue Case’ and are hoping to progress their idea further and make it into a business they can make truly successful.
Jelena Rama said: “It’s such a good feeling to be recognised for our hard work and it is great to be a winner, not just to take part, but to win!”
Panna Khatun said: “This has been an absolutely great opportunity to experience, and it is such a good feeling to be recognised and appreciated for how hard we worked.”
Sulayman Savage said: “I am so happy to have made our lecturer proud, he had so much faith in us and so much enthusiasm about our idea.
“I’m just so pleased and shocked to win, I can’t believe it.”
This was the 13th annual Fox’s Lair event. Every first year Business student can take part, forming teams to come up with a business idea which they then pitch to a group of Foxes - a mix of academic staff, entrepreneurs and business owners who come to DMU to hear their ideas and interrogate their business models.
Module leader, Andrew Nicholson said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the students to celebrate their first year of university and a chance for them to be all together before the summer.
“Over the 13 years we have been doing the Fox’s Lair it has grown from 350 students to 640.
“It is something the students really have to prepare for because their work is presented to real entrepreneurs and they have to be professional.”
The evening started with food upon arrival, giving everyone the chance to network including students, academics and also the Fox’s.
In second place were ‘Sustainable Students’ who proposed a non-profit organisation that focused on promoting recycling and reducing waste at DMU.
In third place were ‘Nibble of the Day’ who pitched the idea of delivering pre-made meals and nibbles to customers' doors.
Deputy Dean of Business and Law at DMU, Christos Kalantaridis said: “This year we had 640 students take part in the Introduction to Enterprise and Entrepreneurship module, that’s a record number.
“The module allows the students to develop a whole new set of skills and allows them to be creative and innovative.”
The Foxes who judge the competition take part from businesses across Europe including, app developers, financial advisors, HSBC representatives, barristers and many more.
The Fox’s Lair will return for students in 2019, for its 14th year, offering more fantastic opportunities for budding entrepreneurs.
Posted on Tuesday 15 May 2018