Supported by Santander Universities UK, the Dragon’s Den-style Phoenix+ Start-up Awards 2025 Pitching Final saw seven finalists explain their ventures to a panel of expert judges in front of a live audience.

Among the ideas pitched by students and graduates at the event was an AI-powered recovery assistant to support stroke survivors, an emergency preparedness kit to help families during crises such as natural disasters and a reusable geotextile for cleaning up oil spills.

Others included a mental health support and mentoring service for young people, a videography and photography business producing content for underrepresented creatives, communities, and small organisations, and an augmented reality brochure to enhance museum experiences using 3D models, animations and audio.

A business called MetaTray secured the biggest investment on the day, with student Bix Pettus walking away with £5,000 towards his AI-powered, offline document and object scanner.

Bix, a first-year Aerospace Engineering student, said: “It was a great experience to take part in the event and this prize will help me make my dream become a reality. I’m a student so being able to get this money, instead of having to attract investors over a long period of time, gives me a great chance to make progress quickly – it’s going to make a real difference.

“I found the experience of doing the pitch really rewarding. I did my presentation and then answered questions and I think the judges were really impressed as they gave me a perfect score.”

Exclusive to Coventry University, Phoenix+ is a free programme that offers all students on the Coventry city centre campus a programme of support to help them reach their full potential through skills assessments, live events and workshops, and one-to-one coaching.

Sheena Penney, Group Head of Enhancing Futures, said: “Phoenix + seeks to empower our students, helping them to recognise their talents which in turn instils a deep sense of inner confidence. Many young individuals considering a career in enterprise face an exciting but often challenging future and Phoenix +, aligned with the innovative, high-quality learning offered across the Group, is part of our commitment to creating better futures for students.

“Events like this one are so important and give students opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial skills and be awarded funds to support the start of their enterprise journey. We couldn’t run these events without the support of Santander and the funding partnership we have with them.”

In addition to the pitches, the event also included talks from past winners who have benefited from the competition’s startup funding.

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