Meet the 2021/22 Alumni Innovation Award winners

What is the alumni innovation award?

We pride ourselves on the comprehensive range of activities on offer to students to develop their own ideas and gain valuable experience during their degree programme. With the Alumni Innovation Awards, we seek to build on this foundation by offering promising graduates the chance to win an award to help take an innovative idea to market.

Award winners are supported to develop their ideas into viable businesses, encouraging the next generation of entrepreneurs. Through these awards we aim to encourage a culture of change across the University, with students seeing an aspiration to become an entrepreneur as a clear and viable career choice. With the help of the SETsquared network and award winning business incubation programme, the scheme aims to help launch businesses which have the potential for true global impact.

Meet our 2021/22 winners

Waleed Lattouf with his business Flinke and James Russ with his business Testmyteeth are this year’s two individual winners of the Alumni Innovation Award. They will each receive a grant of £15,000, membership for the SETsquared Bath Innovation Centre and an expenses account. This will enable them to completely dedicate a year post-graduation without worrying about finding employment so they can focus on their startups.

Siobain Hone, Graduate Enterprise Manager said:

Waleed shows a single-minded determination when it comes to developing Flinke and, if business success could be gauged by founder-input alone, Waleed would already have met the high goals he has set himself. We are delighted to be able to support him at SETsquared Bath through this first year post-graduation on his University of Bath Alumni Innovation Award.

James' timing with Testmyteeth couldn't have been better with dental appointments becoming harder to access and the country moving in and out of lockdown. Technology is pushing us to more personal responsibility with healthcare and we're excited to see where James and his business are going to take this. Winning one of our University Innovation Awards means we can support him during this crucial first year.

We’ve asked Waleed and James to share a regular blog so you can keep up to date with the development of their businesses across its supported year with SETsquared Bath.

Find out more about the Alumni Innovation Awards here.