Mavesh Malik was awarded the title and a £2,500 grant after a rigorous council-funded programme of enterprise support. The business owner, who recently launched Hope Naturals as a side-hustle, was thrilled to win the grant, which supports her mission to encourage households to live a zero-waste future. Ms Malik said: "I could not be prouder of myself to win my very first business pitch competition.
"I’ve been busy with a side passion project - my start-up, Hope Naturals. "We’re due to launch eco-friendly soaps and lotion bars for a sustainable future, crafted with luxurious natural ingredients. "Winning the grant has given me such a boost and will enable me to accelerate my progress.
" The programme, organised by LaunchIt, culminated in an event last month at the Patch Community and Events Centre in High Wycombe, where six finalists pitched for the grant. The participants were mentored as they applied their learnings to their early-stage ideas. The businesses competing for the grants included an app designed to help elderly people manage their medications, a design-to-order embroidered clothing business, and a Christian stationery brand.
Other ideas included no-plastic cleansing products for pets, a business running social events for international students at UK universities, and a natural haircare product targeting a gap in the hair growth industry. The graduates from the 12-week StartUp bootcamp, delivered by Enterprise Nation and LaunchIt, studied everything from comin.