ASPIRE Pitching Competition 2026 winners announced!
A start-up selling delicious Latin American dessert took first place in a exciting pitching competition celebrating ASPIRE’s tenth anniversary.
Anbakan Varatharasan, a final-year Finance and Investment student at Kent Business School, started Sugar Sweet, a social media-based dessert business, during his first year at university. He felt that a famous Latin American dessert, Tres Leches, was missing from the UK’s dessert scene. Since launching his business, Anbakan has seen strong traction from both individual customers and growing interest from local retailers. He took the sweet spot in the competition and won £5,000 to help accelerate his venture. The winner said: “The proof is in the pudding!”
Runners-up
Runners-up were:
Orion Richards, an International Business & Management student with First Choice Apparel, offering high-quality and customisable branded merchandise; and Matt Liston, an MBA student with Alongside Fit, an innovative AI-powered personal training app. Both runners-up won £1,000 and £500 respectively.
Judges in the Dragons’ Den style pitching competition praised the highquality and diversity of ventures pitched. In total, ten Kent students entered the Dragons’ Den to impress the judges.
• Anabelle Nartey (Medicine) – TalearntMed AI, an AI-driven solution transforming medical school selection processes
• Michael Obiuwevbi (Accounting & Finance) – Bakudi, a “financial Duolingo” platform
• Naomi Donovan (PhD English) – Nitrox2, reimagining the retail experience
• Miracle Tanimola (Business & Management) – Mivelle, addressing underserved fashion markets
• Victory Aligwo (Biomedical Engineering) – IMAKEYOUWIN3D, a 3D printing venture
• Laura Rosado De Sousa Uva Cocharro (Biomedical Sciences) – Porbicalm, an innovation in periocular dermatitis treatment
• Sam Chung (Finance, Investment & Risk) – Skopia, an investment risk forecasting platform
The judges were:
• Emay Enemokwu, KBS graduate and founder of the JEHUCAL streetwear brand
• Nadia Simpson, KBS graduate and founder of the From Amora and NuEleFa beauty brands
• Daniel Rubin, KBS graduate (Second 500), Kent Honorary Doctor and founder of Dune London
• Alex Ford, Computer Science graduate, serial entrepreneur and founder of Claro Wealth
• Nimisha Raja, founder of Nim’s and innovator in the food and drink industry
The pitching finals also featured student entrepreneurs from across campus taking part in a vibrant pop-up market. Stallholders presented carefully crafted products spanning multiple sectors, including handmade beauty items, perfumes, and jewellery. There was a particularly strong presence of fashion and food and drink brands, alongside ventures from the art and service industries. The market not only demonstrated the breadth of student innovation but also the programme’s emphasis on practical, experience-led learning.
The event concluded with a celebration of ASPIRE’s ten-year journey which has seen the co-curricular programme work with more than 4,000 students, support the founding of more than 70 businesses and deliver grants and prize money totalling more than £130,000.
ASPIRE’s impact extends beyond financial support, fostering entrepreneurial mindsets, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world problem-solving.
