At the beginning of July, Huish, in partnership with the Taunton Chamber of Commerce, proudly hosted the Huish Dragons Den 2024 competition. This year’s event saw 18 ambitious teams of A Level Business students competing to present the most innovative business idea or product, with a focus on developing a unique selling point (USP), identifying target markets, conducting market research, analysing competitors, developing a marketing campaign and planning detailed costings. The competition highlighted the exceptional talent and creativity of the students, who impressed the panel of Dragons with their high-quality pitches.
The event was launched by Mike Gillett, who shared his experience of entering the den with his bespoke guitar business proposal and also gave top tips for delivering an effective pitch.
Dragons, composed of business representatives and industry specialists, provided invaluable advice, posed challenging questions and offered constructive feedback to the teams.
The Taunton Chamber of Commerce panel included:
• Susie Thomas – Rocket & Bird: Retail and Small Manufacturer (and former Huish student)
• Chris Winter – Cherwyn Developments: Property & Construction
• Lucy Squire – Lucy Squire Wellness: Health & Wellbeing (and former A Level Business student)
• Clare Farthing – Inspiring Success: Business Development Mentor
• Sofia Rodrigues – The Skewer House: Hospitality
• Kate Bartels – The Water Bear: Climate Change & Sustainability
• Paul Leadley – Trelleborg Sealing Solutions: Engineering
• Steph Baker – Steph Baker Marketing: Digital Skills & Marketing
A special thanks goes to Bethan Turner, Membership and Events Manager, for recruiting and co-ordinating the Dragons panel of industry and business representatives.
The winning team, Fresh Fuel, captivated the Dragons with their innovative idea of providing healthy food options at service stations, specifically targeting lorry drivers who often struggle to find nutritious fast-food options. Their business model involves expanding through franchising and the team’s confident presentation, detailed content and comprehensive costings secured their victory.
Another standout team, The Rangers, presented an app designed to help busy parents by scanning the contents of their fridge and using AI to suggest recipes based on the available ingredients, all with the aim of reducing mealtime stress and food waste. The team handled challenging questions from the Dragons with poise and demonstrated a clear understanding of their target market.
Tinie presented ‘Head Screwed On,’ an app developed from personal experience to support female car owners in sourcing advice and assistance for car repairs. The app offers features such as basic diagnostics, estimated repair costs and recommendations for reputable garages. The team’s thorough consideration and innovative approach impressed the judges.
EOS introduced a portfolio of portable solar panels that can be attached to a bag or ruck sack, placed over a tent or clipped to other items, targeting festivalgoers, hikers, and campers. The team provided detailed cost information, manufacturing options and pricing strategies, showcasing their product’s potential in the market.
Other pitches that impressed the Dragons were Nectar, an innovative foot deodorant, and O2O who planned to use sea rubbish and plastic waste to manufacture recycled surf boards.
Students in the winning teams were:
Fresh Fuel – Toby Ware, Toby Hallett, Mo Diab, Nathan Davis, Kieran Hill
The Rangers – Olivia Lake, Daisy Young, Shelley Santos, Isla Catto, Mikaella Harnett
Tinie – Tabbie Monk, Eliza Stephenson, Imy Donovan, Nix Adamson, Imogen Hammel
EOS – Harry Doble, Teddy Hobbs, Alex McCreery, Alex Stenhouse, Dylan Meredith, Lexi Murphy
Huish extends a huge thank you to the staff members who supported the event: Jo Mellor, Ann-Marie Kitchener, John Palmer, Claire Bennett, Stewart Bettinson, Donna Pester, Mike Gillett and Tara Flanagan.
The Huish Dragons Den 2024 competition was an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to showcase their skills and gain valuable insights from experienced industry professionals. Throughout the day, the students had the opportunity to develop many skills such as teamwork, communication, leadership, problem solving, numerical work and meeting deadlines.
The key objective of the day was to foster innovation and entrepreneurial spirit among the students, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the business world.
