Hassan Iqbal one step closer to winning £3,000

Hassan Iqbal one step closer to winning a £3,000

Hassan Iqbal, 18, from Rochdale and a Peter Jones Enterprise Academy graduate is one step closer to winning a £3,000 helping hand to see his business dreams become a reality.

After a nationwide search and competitive pitch to a judging panel in London, Hassan has been chosen as a finalist for the Edge Challenge.

The Edge Challenge is a competition set up by independent education charity, the Edge Foundation, in partnership with the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and the Gazelle Colleges Group. It aims to help young entrepreneurs get their business start-ups off the ground. Individuals or teams of up to five people from further education and sixth form colleges across the country were asked to submit detailed business proposals including financial and marketing plans.

Before the winner is announced, the budding entrepreneurs will join one other in a final pitch to a live audience at The Skills Show at the NEC Birmingham. The prizes of £3,000, £1,250, £750 and £4,000 for the winning team will be presented by Theo Paphitis, Patron of The Skills Show and former Dragon.

Hassan, who is also a Finalist for Young Digital Entrepreneur of the Year in the Digital Entrepreneur Awards and a Virgin Pioneer, is hoping that he will take home the £3,000 prize money which he will spend on marketing his creative media agency – CreativePixels.

Hassan says: "Receiving such a huge and incredibly rare opportunity to go to The Skills Show and present my business to a live audience is extraordinary. I’m unbelievably excited to get up there and present my work. I am already overwhelmed by getting to the final; this is such an amazing experience. I really hope that my business plan and pitch can net me the top prize and help my business develop further."

David Harbourne, Acting CEO of independent education charity, the Edge Foundation, says: “We wish Hassan all the best ahead of The Skills Show. He has used great business acumen to identify gaps in the market for Creative Pixels. There are many paths to success and it is our pleasure to be able to help him implement his business plans.”

Furkan Uddin, Head of Faculty for Financial & Professional Services at Oldham College said: “Hassan is an outstanding student who is a truly deserving finalist. He has been focused, hardworking and committed throughout his programme of study. The PJEA at Oldham College has allowed him to be innovative with his individual business plans and built bridges with employers and industry experts.

“Hassan has had the right attitude to learning and has been able to steer his ideas in to a real business, which is now fully operating. It’s remarkable that he has taken the courage to set up real business at such a young age. I am confident he will continue to enjoy further successes.”

Peter Jones CBE, Founder of the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy says: “Hassan has done a superb job in getting to the final of the Edge Challenge and I'm very proud of him as Peter Jones Enterprise Academy graduates. This competition really demonstrates the talent young people have, not just in thinking up new ideas and products, but in following them through and creating viable businesses. At the Academy, we work hard to instil these entrepreneurial attributes in our students and I am delighted to see Hassan leading the way.”

Fintan Donohue, CEO Gazelle Colleges Group, says: “Many congratulations to Hassan for being selected as a finalist in the Edge Challenge. Gazelle Colleges Group is delighted to see the Edge Foundation and our colleagues from the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, embrace the wider definition of entrepreneurship.

“The experimentation with start-up that this competition offers young people, allows them to develop a mind-set that will strengthen their employment prospects, whether they chose to become an entrepreneur or seek employment within an organisation. Enterprise competition is an integral part of the student experience across the Gazelle Colleges Group network and the student role models that have been chosen as finalists help create a culture of enterprise and entrepreneurship that will inspire students in the future.”

The Skills Show takes place 19-21 November.