Darren Tenkorang and Laurence Stephens

Three students from the Sussex Department of Business and Management have achieved recognition for their entrepreneurial talent from StartUp Sussex, an annual competition organised by the Sussex Innovation Centre (SINC) on behalf of the University of Sussex to award funding to enterprising Sussex students and graduates. 

The winner of the 2016 competition was Darren Tenkorang, a finalist student on the BSc Business and Management Studies (with a professional placement year). Darren's winning idea - TRIM-IT, an app designed to help users minimise waiting times for haircuts and reward them for loyalty - beat more than 50 other entrants to the first prize of £10,000 to develop his business. 

Finishing in second place was MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation student Laurence Stevens, who won £5,000 with his product Vanguard, a customisable compression suit which allows players of contact sports to add weights, padding or gel packs to key muscle groups to aid training, protection and recovery. 

Among this year's runners-up was Maria Ariza, who is in her final year of study on the BSc in International Business. Maria was recognised for her startup Keeywe, a social enterprise aimed at helping 'free-from' cooks share their gluten- and dairy-free dishes by allowing users of the website and app to order meals for home delivery in biodedegradable takeaway boxes. 

All entrants pitched their ideas to a panel of experts including staff from SINC and the Sussex Careers and Employability Centre as well as local business leaders and entrepreneurs.