Southampton student entrepreneurs place second in UK national finals
Enactus Southampton has made a welcome return to the podium at the 2020 UK national finals.
The student enterprise society, representing the University of Southampton, finished second overall after three rounds of presentations and Q&A sessions done online due to the restrictions in place because of COVID-19.
Enactus Southampton’s Future Brew project won two prizes, from both Ford and Dominvs Group, and the team’s student mentoring Retrograde project placed third in the EY Empowering Youth individual topic competition. Southampton finished runners-up to Enactus Nottingham who now go onto the Enactus World Cup in the Neterhlands later this year. Some 60 teams in total took part in this year’s Enactus UK competition.
“The Enactus Southampton team have taken a strong stand and collaborative approach against food waste, water scarcity and quality of education, by working closely with an international Enactus team in Delhi, India as well as local breweries, schools, non-governmental organisations and businesses in the UK,” said Geography student Adelaide Hitchings, Co-President of Enactus Southampton. “Placing second in the national competition of 60 UK universities, alongside winning two Individual Topic Competitions and coming third in another is a brilliant outcome for the team.
Sarah Rogers, Head of Student Enterprise at the University of Southampton said: “The Enactus Southampton team have worked really hard, developing a new and innovative range of projects over the last year. They should feel really proud of all they have achieved in such a short space of time.”
Diana Flemming, Enactus UK Programme Coordinator, added: "I am super proud of the journey and successes of the Enactus Southampton team this year. Not only were they named one of the top two teams out of 60 in the Enactus UK programme, but they also won two Individual Topic Competitions: The Dominvs Group Waste Reduction Competition and the Ford College Community Challenge. These accolades are a testament to the hard work and dedication of their 101 members who have built innovative social enterprises, like FutureBrew, and created incredible impact."
Enactus Southampton presented two projects at the national finals this year:
- Future Brew - created in April 2019 by Southampton students after the team discovered that almost 900,000 tonnes of bread goes to waste every year in the UK (enough food to feed 26 million people!) The team behind Future Brew has created an environmentally sustainable business model to collect surplus food from local partners, supermarkets and bakeries and turn a significant proportion of bread waste into beer whilst providing food for those with low incomes and the homeless in Southampton;
- Project Milan - based in Delhi, India, Southampton students have collaborated with Enactus DTU to create an innovative farming system that uses 95% less water than traditional farming. The project tackles water scarcity through reducing water intensive farming methods. They aim to employ local individuals to operate the farming system, improving income reliability in the area. Additionally will be running educational workshops with more than 80 schools where children will be taught the importance of sustainability.
Dimitri Stoidis, Aeronautics and Astronautics student, Co-President of Enactus Southampton and Founder of Future Brew, said: “As a company and as a student society, we are really strong believers that every person can become a change-maker through the everyday decisions they make. From what product you choose to what beer you choose to make, you can make a massive impact; that’s the main thing about university, because you get so many opportunities to actually create change in your local community. With Enactus, you have an opportunity to do that.”
Enactus Southampton is a student society affiliated with the University’s Students Union involving over 100 students working together to create social enterprises focused around environmental, economic and social sustainability. Guided by advisors and mentors from the University, business and alumni communities, Enactus Southampton brings together students from a wide range of subjects to develop and manage real-life projects that create economic and social opportunity for others.
In just one year the group's hard work has saved 1.5 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, provided more than 800 meals, and educated 107 students on the importance of sustainability, whilst impacting the lives of over 16,000 people in the UK and overseas.
The Southampton group is linked to Enactus, the global community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better and more sustainable world.
If you want to know more and how you can get involved go to enactussouthampton.org or send a message to the Facebook page.