INSIGHTS / News

A unique concept which brings puppets to life through the use of soft robotics has won Bristol’s equivalent of Dragon’s Den and a share of over £30,000 prize money.

The futuristic idea, from Rusty Squid Ltd, was one of seven ground-breaking ideas vying for the judges’ votes at the University of Bristol’s New Enterprise Competition which was judged by a panel of industry experts.

The team has won £10,750, plus £2,000 worth of legal support from Veale Wasbrough Vizards, to help grow their idea from a part-time collective into a scalable business.

Second place went to students Sam Harris and Nishil Raichura for their Pedal Power Transport business, which is a courier and taxi business powered by people not petrol. They have specialised rickshaws which allow them to make deliveries of people and parcels around the city, offering a high-quality, competitive and eco-friendly service.

Pedal Power Transport won a cheque for £6,750 to continue to develop their business from Basecamp, the university’s dedicated student start-up space.

Two teams of Engineering students shared third place and win £6,000 each plus business advice from the SETsquared Business Acceleration Centre. Sam Barrett, Madeline Burke, Leo Morgan, James Gray and Odysseas Pappas are the brains behind Cleatfit, which is an innovative mechanical solution for cyclists to accurately replace the cleats which fasten their cycling shoes to their cycle pedals. This solution provides an affordable way for an expanding market of cyclists to avoid costly injuries.

Tim Ankers, Laura Clare and Will Tiley, George Cusworth, Dave Green and Claire Tobin form the team behind Flare, which designs stylish branded organic cotton bags that use colour-changing technology to highlight when UV radiation from the sun has reached specific intensities.

This year’s competition entries were judged by a panel of industry experts from sponsoring organisations including Deloitte, EADS, IP Group, Motorola, Santander, SETsquared Business Acceleration Centre (Bristol), Veale Wasbrough Vizards, and Wyvern Seed Fund.

Read the full story on the University of Bristol website