News article
Startup Sussex: students take home a collective £17,000 to kickstart their innovation and social impact initiatives
The Startup Sussex winners, runners-up and shortlisted applicants pose for a group photo with the Entrepreneurship team
Startup Sussex winners and runners-up celebrate with a group selfie
Jessica Mahendran (AI and Adaptive Systems MSc), who won first place in the Social Impact category
Open to all current students and recent graduates, Startup Sussex is an opportunity to win up to £5,000 to fund their usiness or social enterprise idea, as well as gain access to business support. This year, the competition saw a total of £17,000 distributed to winning student pitches in categories relating to innovation, social impact, and more.
Earlier this year, students and recent graduates from across the University took part in interactive workshops to develop their ideas and sharpen their applications. Shortlisted applicants were then selected to pitch in front of a panel of judges – including alumnus founders, business owners, and industry experts – at the pitching and awards ceremony.
Following this event, we are delighted to share the full list of 2026 winners!
Innovation Category
- 1st Prize (£5,000): Praveenan Mathew (Artificial Intelligence and Adaptive Systems MSc) and his team with CowCare, turning ordinary barn cameras into an AI-powered early warning system for dairy farms
- 2nd Prize (£2,000): Max Willis (Mechanical Engineering MEng) with Willis AgTech, bringing precision automation to legacy agricultural sprayers
Social Impact Category
- 1st Prize (£5,000): Jessica Mahendran (Artificial Intelligence and Adaptive Systems MSc) with TEAch, bringing O-level tutors and students together in Sri Lanka
- 2nd Prize (£2,000): Aya Abou Ghalyoum (Development Studies MA) with Careerak, a 360-degree career guidance platform in Lebanon
Additional prizes
Three additional prizes of £1,000 were also awarded to applicants whose initiatives aligned with the University’s strategic goals:
- Human Flourishing Prize: Noshaba Mushtaq (Social Development MA) with Resilience Hub, a social enterprise helping rural women in Azad Jammu and Kashmir turn their skills into income
- Environmental Sustainability Prize: Francesco Scanzani (Sustainable Development MSc) with accredited sustainability trainings equipping people with skills needed to enter the green economy
- Digital and Data Futures Prize: Praveenan Mathew (Artificial Intelligence and Adaptive Systems MSc) and his team with CowCare, turning ordinary barn cameras into an AI-powered early warning system for dairy farms
Shortlisted candidates
The other shortlisted candidates each received £500 and a place on the Momentum Incubator, a programme designed to equip student entrepreneurs with skills, resources and funding to launch their ventures.
- Charlie Graham (Media Production BA)and Alex Simmonds (Economics and Finance BSc) with Amino Lager, a protein-infused beer
- Pelin Baran (Business and Management BSc) with skincare and lifestyle brand Type B
- Sanket Aher (Government, Development and Public Policy MA) with the School of Sarpanch Leadership, building the governance capacity of newly elected rural Indian leaders
Reflecting on this year’s competition, Helena Joyce (Entrepreneurship Manager, Careers and Entrepreneurship) said: “once again we have seen a brilliant array of innovative ideas come in from our community of entrepreneurial students and graduates. The standard of pitches was extremely high and we're excited to continue supporting these ventures through our Momentum Incubator with Sussex Innovation."
The Careers and Entrepreneurship team would like to say a huge congratulations to all of those who took part in this year’s Startup Sussex workshops and competition. We are looking forward to seeing everyone take their ideas out into the world!
About Entrepreneurship at Sussex
Got a big idea for a better world? Or curious about learning new skills and exploring venture creation? We can help you get started with one-to-onesupport, startup workshops, and funding opportunities.
We can support you from the early stages of developing an idea for a business or social enterprise, all the way through to launching and scaling your venture.
Each year, we offer a range of funding opportunities – from grants to competitions – to help launch your idea. Our 2026-27 opportunities will launch on the Student Hub in Autumn 2026.
We also provide workshops and services for those who simply want to gain skills that employers look for, like problem-solving, teamwork, creative thinking and pitching ideas.
You can book a one-to-one appointment with a member of the Entrepreneurship team to meet online or face-to-face.
Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Sussex.