News release
The future is bright with transformative ideas from talented teams
Chair of the panel, Professor Malcolm Skingle CBE, Director of Academic Liaison at GSK, said:
One of the highlights of my year is meeting those taking part in YES.
YES offers Masters, PhD students, researchers and technicians a safe and risk free environment to develop their commercial understanding - an understanding which is essential for their personal career progression and for the success of the UK economy.
It’s hard to believe some of the pitches aren’t real business plans as they’re so professional. Many participants go on to create successful companies, move into business development positions and become experts in licensing and patents. For those who don’t, they have a better understanding of the innovation landscape.
Congratulations to all those who took part in YES23!
Winners of YES23
Overall winners SynchroTech, representing the University of Nottingham, pitched a personalised wearable device for administrating essential hormones for fertility treatment.
The SynchroTech team said: “Participating in YES has been transformative for our team. The invaluable mentorship and immersive experience allowed us to not only develop practical skills in business, marketing, and finance but also boost our confidence. YES has been a catalyst for personal growth, fostering connections, and has opened doors to unforeseen career opportunities, extending our horizons beyond academic paths.”
Team members (left to right): Ieva Sapjanskaite, Mercedes Vazqez, Clare Harwood, Lauren Brown and Max Armitage
Winners of Best disruptive food and drink business plan
Minu offering vitamin-enriched cordial, derived from plant-based by-products, initially focussed on alleviating the symptoms of menopause.
Dynamic duo Nikki Tuck and Charlie Bradley, representing the Universities of Aston and Brunel respectively, won the prize for Best disruptive food and drink business plan, sponsored by the Food Consortium Collaborative Training Partnership.
Nikki and Charlie said: “YES23 has allowed us to consider opportunities beyond academia. The wealth of knowledge gained from our mentors has equipped us with the resources and experience to consider business management and strategy. We feel confident in our approach, considering costings, profitability and intellectual property. We have formed some fantastic connections.”
Charlie also won the social media prize for active engagement throughout the competition.
Team members (left to right): Charlie Bradley and Nikki Tuck
Winners of Best engineering business plan
GO2's mobile app utilises smartphone sensors and machine learning to study young commuters' travel patterns suggesting eco-friendly alternatives.
The University of Nottingham’s GO2 team won the prize for Best engineering business plan.
Team members (left to right): Harriet Cameron, Simon Castle-Green, Keziah Magit, Ilayda Macit and Jorge Llamas
Winners of Best environmental business plan
UVresh presenting a UV-light based technology to prolong freshness, improve nutritions and reduce transport energy usage for post-harvest herbs.
A group of researchers representing the University of Nottingham won the prize for Best environmental business plan.
The UVresh team said: “It has been an amazing and exciting journey for all of us to be participating in YES23. We have cherished the rare and special opportunities where we were given platforms to communicate with experts from different fields. Various new forms of cooperation between science and business has not only improved our knowledge in partnership, but also prepared us to face the potential challenges we might face in our future career journey. Again, thank you to YES for providing this marvellous opportunity!”
Team members (left to right): Tu Le, Ilma Amalya Qonaah and Yifan Dong
Winners of Best healthcare business plan and the People’s Choice Award
Scan-Sorter AI proposing a solution to hospitals and NHS trusts that automatically detects bleeds in CT head scans whilst the patient is still in the scanner.
Scan-Sorter AI, representing King's College London, won the prize for Best healthcare business plan, sponsored by GSK, and the People’s choice award, sponsored by Indigo.
The Scan-Sorter AI team said: “We entered to gain the skills that aren’t usually part of our daily life and were interested in the entrepreneurial journey. It was a great opportunity to learn new skills. We learnt so much and by going through the process we had some positive feedback from colleagues in the department and people who have gone through entrepreneurial schemes themselves to try and launch their meta-products. Just talking and developing our product to getting some feedback from other people is immensely useful.”
Team members (left to right): David Drobny, Alysha Chelliah, Siddharth Agarwal and Ben Jackson
Winners of Best sustainable agriculture business
TropiCultivar developing a vertical farming system for tree crops to produce fruit with improved characteristics and availability.
The University of Reading team, TropiCultivar, won the prize for Best sustainable agriculture business plan, sponsored by Syngenta.
The TropiCultivar team said: “YES has given us the opportunity to explore the business world, gaining so much knowledge and experience through the process. We are truly grateful for the network we have built from this journey.”
Team members left to right: Iris Kabelo, Supasan Loketsatian, Kongkidakorn Thaweepanyaporn and Emily Parkes
Winners of Best consideration of financial planning strategy
LYXIR developing a throat sweet containing bacteriophage-derived endolysins tackling bacterial throat infections without drug resistance worries.
A group of researchers from the NLD BBSRC DTP, LYXIR won the prize for Best consideration of financial planning strategy, sponsored by James Cowper Kreston.
The LYXIR team said: “YES allowed us to explore various aspects of business modelling. We also benefitted from being granted the freedom to be creative in product design, enhancing our teamwork and communication skills leading up to the final.”
Team members left to right: Alex Faulkner, Utsav Das, Jennifer Readshaw and Niall Wilson
Winners of Best consideration of IP strategy
Flavio providing an innovative plug-in syrup mimicking device that can fit to any drinkware, aiming to reduce sugar consumption in beverages.
Imperial College London’s Flavio team won the prize for Best consideration of IP strategy, sponsored by Potter Clarkson.
Team members left to right: Nicole Fitikides, Suchaya Mahuttanatan, Xiaotong Lin and Nicole Christou
Winners of Best executive summary
PhyscoBio pioneering eco-conscious laundry solutions by harnessing genetically enhanced moss to create sustainable, DIY detergent at home.
PhyscoBio, representing the University of Oxford, won the prize for Best executive summary, sponsored by Reacta Healthcare.
Team members: Emma Watts, Laura Bailey, Joy Lyu and Konstantina Beritza
Judging panel member, Dr Anji Miller, a Senior Business Manager at LifeArc said:
It’s been fantastic to be involved in YES again!
The high-level buzz at The Royal Society was a true indicator that five months after starting their entrepreneurial journey, the cohort’s enthusiasm to expand their know-how, skills and network will continue way beyond YES23.
I would encourage tech transfer professionals to get involved - share your experiences - you can truly make a difference to others pursuing this career path.
Chair of YES, Professor Simon Mosey, Director of the Haydn Green Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Nottingham University Business School, said:
Congratulations to all those who took part in YES23! It’s been another incredibly impressive year with such a diverse cohort. Studies have shown that diversity of background leads to innovation and we’ve been privileged to witness the benefits of diversity through the breakthrough ideas showcased today.
Thanks to our continued partnership with MI-TALENT, we welcomed another 16 technicians to take part – a hidden community but hugely valuable in the knowledge exchange process – they have brought a wealth of experience and new ideas giving different perspectives to the pitches.
We were delighted to add food and drink to our list of challenges this year through the support of the Food Consortium CTP – they have huge ambitions to transform the food system, which mirrors the YES mission. The future looks bright for YES24!