Student entrepreneurs shine at Surrey Hatchery final pitch

At the heart of Surrey Business School’s (SBS) commitment to experiential learning, entrepreneurship, and innovation, the latest Surrey Hatchery Final Pitch event showcased the ambition, creativity, and resilience of our student entrepreneurs.

Finalists at Surrey Business School's Surrey Hatchery competition, May 2026

Hosted through the Surrey Hatchery at Surrey Business School, the event brought together student founders, academics, business leaders, and external experts to celebrate the culmination of months of venture development, mentoring, and entrepreneurial learning.

Student teams delivered 10-minute pitches presenting their novel solutions, business concepts, market opportunities, and business growth strategies to a distinguished panel comprising senior academics and business leaders who are members of the Hatchery’s Founders Circle and the SBS Advisory Board. The event highlighted not only the quality of the ventures emerging from the programme, but also the School’s wider mission to develop future-focused, entrepreneurial, and responsible leaders.

The pitches

The calibre of the pitches reflected the growing entrepreneurial culture being fostered across Surrey Business School, where students are encouraged to translate ideas into action through practical, real-world experiences. From technology-enabled solutions to socially impactful ventures, the diversity and sophistication of the ideas, and the passion and drive of the student entrepreneurs demonstrated the strength of innovation emerging from the Surrey community.

Dr William Lanham-New, Director of Student Entrepreneurship, said:

“The Final Pitch event is always one of the most inspiring moments of the year. It is incredibly rewarding to see students transform early-stage ideas into well-developed ventures with genuine market potential. What stands out most is not only the quality of the business concepts, but also the confidence, resilience, and entrepreneurial mindset our students develop throughout the Hatchery journey.”

The Hatchery is designed to be more than an incubator. It is a platform for experimentation, collaboration, personal growth, reaching out to the outside world to make a difference. Events like this demonstrate the power of giving students the space, mentorship, and support to test ideas, solve problems, and build confidence as innovators and founders.

Dr Ekaterina Murzacheva, Head of Enterprise

The Surrey Hatchery forms a key part of Surrey Business School’s broader enterprise ecosystem, which combines entrepreneurial education, industry engagement, and venture support to help students build the skills needed for the future of work and business creation.

The winners

Two prizes were awarded, The Paul Stone Award for Entrepreneurial Business Vision to Jamie Reynolds (BSc Business Management) and the Brian Allison Award for Entrepreneurial Business Idea to Emily Wilson (BSc Business Management with Entrepreneurship and Innovation) and Victoria Angell-Sanchez (BSc Business Management and Spanish). In addition, a highly commended entry from Charlotte Essex (BSc Business Management with Business Analytics) was awarded a special prize by one of the judges.

Dean of Surrey Business School, Professor Iis Tussyadiah, thanked the sponsors and supporters who helped make the event possible:

“We are incredibly grateful for the support provided through the Dean’s Priorities Fund, which enabled us to award prizes to our student founders. This investment reflects Surrey Business School’s strong commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship, creativity, and student innovation. We hope these awards will help our founders take the next step in their entrepreneurial journeys.”

SBS’s links with industry

The event also reinforced the School’s strong connections with industry and external stakeholders, with judges and mentors providing valuable feedback, substantive assistance, and encouragement to participating students.

As Surrey Business School continues to advance its Incubating Vibrant Futures strategy, the Surrey Hatchery remains central to creating opportunities for students to engage in venture creation, innovation, and experiential learning, helping shape the next generation of business leaders, founders, and changemakers.