A thriving design start up founded by four Hallam graduates has come out on top against tough opposition to win this year’s Hallam Enterprise Awards.

It’s the third year that Hallam’s enterprise team has hosted the event, with a total of £10,000 prize money on offer, generously donated by Santander Universities, helping to create opportunities for all.

Of the 10 finalists, representing a broad range of businesses, the judges awarded first prize to Studio Rife - a dynamic design collective, founded by Andrew Bainbridge, James Popple-Beckett, Will Rea and Callum Seymour - all Graphic Design graduates from Sheffield Hallam. The winning business was awarded a total of £5,000.

The two runners-up, each winning £2,000, were Bigger Flower, an online florist and gifting platform serving the Chinese market, founded by international Interior Design graduate Wenxin Deng, and The Skateboard Physiotherapist, founded by Physiotherapy graduate Ben Rowles.
Okapi Books - a small press publishing company founded by Public Relations graduate Akeem Balogun, was awarded the £1,000 prize for the best business pitch on the night, as voted for by the audience.

The other finalists were:

• Open House Pictures, founded by Performance & Professional Practice graduates Daniel Bale and Joseph Palmer
• Seven by Five, founded by Fashion student Alicia Tilney
• She’ll Grow Out of It, founded by Fashion Management & Communication graduate Paige Graham-Buckle 
• Swype Creative, founded by Graphic Design student Wesley Holmes
• Virtual Pixel, founded by Digital Media Production graduates Diogo Salgado and Tania Silvestre
• Yoki Social Table, founded by International Business Management graduate Denny KH Song

All the winning businesses received their awards from members of the judging panel, which included Martin Marper (Santander), Yvonne Asquith (Business Sheffield), Hannah Duraid (creator of The Great Escape Game), Jaimie Veitch (Jamie Veitch Consulting) and Lahari Parchuri.

Caroline Nouvellon, Graduate Enterprise Manager, said:

“I hope everyone had a very enjoyable evening, and well done to all the finalists! We’re very grateful for the support and generosity of Santander Universities, without whom we wouldn't be able to offer the £10,000 worth of prize money.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to our judges for volunteering their time, everyone who contributed to the success of the evening, including Nicole Ramsden and Blink Vivid Video, and a special thank you goes to Pennie Raven and Gil Vasey for their support in preparing our finalists for this awards event.”