Dragons Put Business Students to the Test
Earlier this week, Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) hosted the annual Dragons' Lair competition, which sees Business students pitch their ideas to employers in hopes they will ‘invest’ in their proposals.
Level 2 and Level 3 BTEC Business students from Newcastle College were set the challenge to work in small teams and come up with an original business idea. The groups were then required to create a full business plan, including competitor research, a marketing proposal and financial forecasts, as well as outlining the legal factors of their idea.
A number of local ‘dragons’ were involved in the event, including professionals from Ryman Limited, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and Plinkfizz.
The student groups were judged on their business plans and the four with the highest score were invited into the Boardroom to present their ideas in more detail and take questions from the dragons, who then selected the worthy winners.
First place went to ‘Staystuck’, a clothing glue to adhere fabric to the body to prevent gaping. Proposed by students Grace McDonald, Tilly Weston, Diontai Saunders and Tia-Nicole Machin, the dragons were impressed with the innovative idea and the thorough research completed by the team.
Second place went to ‘Virtual Horizons’, a VR travel experience pitched by Kaitlyn Love. Her concept impressed with its creativity and commercial potential. Dragon Paul Hawkins of Plinkfizz was so inspired by Kaitlyn’s pitch that he offered her a work placement at his marketing agency.
The bronze position went to ‘'Serene Harmony', described as 'Wellness in a box' by it's creators Anya Snape, Ava Wilson-Cunningham, Lucia Cooke and Mia Hulme.
Mike Hulme, Lecturer in Business at NSCG said: “We look forward to hosting the Dragons’ Lair competition each year, it is such an inspirational day and the students never fail to step up to the mark.
“A big thank you has to go out to the local employers and entrepreneurs who supported the event. Their involvement, representing a broad range of industries, not only highlights the diverse career paths available to our students but also provides invaluable feedback to help them grow and improve.”
