Crawley College students battle for top prize at Dragon's Den style event

Crawley College business students battled it out during the Lion’s Lair event held at Crawley Library last week.

The aspirational business owners presented their ideas in front of a panel of judges from the business community on Wednesday 21 February, including: BIPC experts Sam French and Mark Hadley, Emma Hamilton from EMW Law and Dean Wynter, Crawley College Vice-Principal.

The event saw students present their ideas from: Hidden Talents Jobs Finder, Carbon Filter, Anatomical Artistry, Help me Home Handbag, Otto Bin and Go2lunch app, with Taha Tajik and Oshang Hamzi winning the top spot for their idea – a handbag for people with Dementia.

The handbag contains a ‘ring’ camera hidden inside to help families find people who wander. The camera allows a visual aspect for worried families. The number of people with dementia is set to double by 2040.

Panellist and businessman Mark Hadley said: “I think at their age you haven’t normally got the experience going out and trialling these things, which is the important bit. Some of these ideas are really good, but you need to have more than an idea. It’s getting the field trials done, because once you do, that’s when the real commercial interest starts.”

Taha Tajik said: “It’s very important. Follow your dreams and your plans. It’s given us a platform and some ideas and it has helped with our confidence.”