MDXcelerator winner revealed after international final

Four students from MDX's three campuses pitched their business ideas to a panel of industry experts

The budding student entrepreneur who scooped a £3,000 cash prize after winning the international final of the MDXcelerator 2024 has been revealed.

Four students from Middlesex University’s campuses in London, Dubai and Mauritius competed in a grand final in which they pitched their business ideas to a panel of industry experts after individual events on each campus. Vansh Mohan of Dubai who runs Skills Forge took home the £3,000 prize for winning with Joshua Palmer and Vasiliki Papdima of  London from Unity App and Camille Gopaul of Nappy Des Îles from Mauritius as runners-up.

Now in the final year of a BEng Computer Systems Engineering course, Vansh designed his business to be an AI-powered one stop solution for all learners in which they use a web platform for tailored to their goals and experience. Speaking about the competition, Vansh (pictured above) said: “I found MDXcelerator incredibly unique and engaging. The highlight was getting a stage for student entrepreneurs to showcase and pitch their businesses and ideas, in front of an experienced panel of judges.” He will use the cash to publish the web app and patent the technologies, work with like-minded individuals and revamp his online course searching experience.

One judge Raymond Yip, MDX alumnus and Founder and Creative Director of Fusion Creative Studio, said: “Seeing the innovative ideas from those young entrepreneurs was truly inspiring. With the support provided by the MDXcelerator platform, I am confident that the candidates will achieve great success in their entrepreneurial journeys.”

Another judge Judhi Prasetyo, Senior Lecturer of Computer Engineering and Informatics at MDX, Head and Founder of RoboTechX Lab, said: “‘We are proud to see the creativity and spirit of our students in bringing their ideas to life. Winning this competition is just the beginning, and certainly not the end for those who didn't win. It is our job to nurture them and guide them through the journey. Being an International university, we have the advantage to bring worldwide experience and connections needed for our aspiring entrepreneur.”

The MDXcelerator Start-up Support programme is an initiative designed to foster entrepreneurship among students and alumni across MDX’s campuses which offers a unique blend of workshops, masterclasses, one to one mentoring sessions and pitching challenges, aiming to turn innovative ideas into successful businesses. Participants benefit from access to a network of industry experts and top entrepreneurs.

The prizes have been sponsored by Santander Universities. A distinctive feature of the MDXcelerator is its partnership with local companies in business growth and development, including the Business Incubator at Grahame Park. Finalists of the programme can continue their entrepreneurial journey receiving ongoing mentorship and business support.

Grand final runners-up, entrepreneurs Joshua and Vasiliki, who are both entering their final year of a BSc in Business Management, set up an app to help people of all abilities which features a map that highlights all public places such as shops, restaurants, libraries, gyms, museums, GPS and libraries. For each location, Unity will show what facilities they have to cater towards different needs, such as ramps, lifts, hearing aids or quite hours.

“The highlight of the competition for us was winning the London campus competition, which meant a lot for us showing that our idea actually had potential and could be developed further,” they said. “This experience showed us that many other people also believe in our idea.” They plan to use the £3,500 funding offered by Santander Universities from wining the London final to develop the app.

Camille Gopaul, on the International Foundation Programme (IFP) for Psychology, runs Nappy Des Îles which are natural, affordable, and inclusive hair products which every person with straight to coily hair can use, adapted to the warm Mauritian climate.

She revealed she plans to use the money won as part of the local MDXcelerator competition in Mauritius on new equipment and employees and said she benefited greatly from pitching and learning the financial side.

She added: “The competition was very interesting. I discovered a part of business that could have taken years to know but I learned those things in only a few weeks. Our mentors did their best to help us which was amazing.”

London finalists also included Islam Coban who runs Chain Xero in second who scooped £2,500, Muhammad Mohtashim Sadiq of ArgiSense in third who won £1,000, Kieron Alfred Bryan of Step Green Technology and Kabiru Kadiri of Treasury Hub who both won £500 after finishing fourth.