Purple Door

The Winners

Despite being compared 'The Apprentice', no-one is sacked from the Enterprise Boot Camp and all the students left with a boot camp T-shirt on their back and goody bag under their arm.  Many also took away considerable cash prizes, thanks to donations from the events' generous sponsors.

On the final day of the boot-camp, teams who had worked hard together over the three days presented their business pitch to a panel of judges, consisting of members of the regional business community, then faced an agonising wait to find out who had impressed them the most.   

The judges all agreed that the standard had been exceptionally high which made final decisions extremely difficult. 

The prize for the Best Pitch (£1000 from sponsor Grant Thornton) went to 'Above Bonnet' for their idea of a garage run by women for women.

Another £1000, sponsored by Hampshire County Council, went to 'People Like Us', who won the prize for the Best Action Plan. Their business idea was for a web-based social network for older, 'upmarket' clients.

But of all the prize categories, the most coveted is the prize for the Best Business Idea, which this year consisted of £2000, sponsored by Hampshire Economic Partnership.  This went to 'Aegis Diesel Protection', for their inspired idea to create a device designed to stop motorists putting the wrong type of fuel in their cars.

Winner Lorraine Powderly from Winchester University said: "I have learnt more about setting up and running a business in three days than I thought possible and have gained greater confidence in myself and my abilities within such a situation. With reflection on the event, I personally found it very interesting to work so intensely with such a diverse team in a highly competitive environment."

All of this years participants in the Enterprise Boot Camp left with their heads spinning with new information and inspiration, useful connections, new friends and in many cases a substantial sum of money and a real opportunity to pursue a career in enterprise.

Best Business Idea - £2000 prize, sponsored by Hampshire Economic Partnership

Hannah Duggan, Winchester - £400
Simon Nash, Southampton - £400
Peter Okeke, Portsmouth - £400
Lorraine Powderly, Winchester - £400
Jack Thabwa, Solent - £400

Best Business Pitch - £1000 prize, sponsored by Grant Thornton

Mark Adamoulas, Solent - £250
Rachel Clatworthy,  Portsmouth - £250
Emily Jenkins, Winchester - £250
Rachel Steiner, Southampton - £250

Best Action Plan - £1000, sponsored by Hampshire County Council

Alex Baird, Winchester - £250
Cheryl Bartlett, Solent - £250
Irene-Marie Keen, Portsmouth - £250
Lindsay Torrington, Southampton - £250

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