Surrey Hatchery student pitch competition

Surrey Business School (SBS) students pitched before a panel of business gurus for a cash prize of £500 and the opportunity to be mentored by entrepreneurial experts.

Judges at Surrey Business Schools first Hatchery Pitch: Sven Hughes Jeffrey Lawrence and Andy Miller, May 2025

In a Dragon’s Den-style event, panel members Sven Hughes, Founder-CEO of Enigma Strategic Communications, Jeffrey Lawrence, retired Founder of Ardmore Healthcare, and Andy Miller, Founder and MD of DNAStream, listened to students’ pitches as part of SBS’s Hatchery. The Hatchery is a student-focused business incubator designed to nurture and develop entrepreneurial talent to develop promising business concepts into thriving ventures.

The panel judges, who are members of the SBS Founders Circle, questioned the students on their business plans, making observations on what could be developed and what could be improved.

The winners were Executive MBA student, Clive Palumbo, who presented his business, MyPrivateAmbulance, and Business Management with Business Analytics BSc student Muneeb Ahmed for Findiet – a shopping app that scans food labels to identify whether it is suitable for consumption by Muslims.

Clive said “it was a great opportunity to get real-life feedback from experts.”

Judge Sven Hughes said: “The standard of pitches was truly exceptional – and the leadership and business acumen on display says a great deal about the standard of teaching and mentorship at SBS. This is an important engine room for growth in the UK economy. I have every confidence that Muneeb and Clive will be outstandingly successful in the years to come.”

Organiser Dr Will Lanham-New said “It never amazes me at the breadth of ideas and ingenuity our students bring to SBS. This [event] was the first of its kind run by the Hatchery and we hope to run many more to give business students of all levels the opportunity to face friendly dragons in a bid to strengthen their business and entrepreneurship acumen.”