> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Trio scoops £22,000 at University of Suffolk bootcamp - URL: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/trio-scoops-22-000-at-university-of-suffolk-bootcamp/ - Published: 2026-08-19T07:07:54.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-19T07:07:54.000Z - Description: Three entrepreneurs from the University of Suffolk have won a share of £22,000 after pitching their business ideas to a Dragon's Den-style panel at the end of a six-week summer bootcamp. - Author: Nicola Sebastian - Tags: News, University of Suffolk, Grants, Donations & Fundraising, Business, Higher Education **Why it matters:** The funding gives emerging entrepreneurs from the university the financial backing to launch or grow their businesses, with this years ideas spanning carbon reporting, food and space technology. **The details:** The university's Careers, Enterprise and Employability team ran the six-week Summer Start-Up Bootcamp, supporting students and graduates to develop and pitch business ideas. 16 student and graduate entrepreneurs took part, with 11 progressing to the finale on Tuesday, 7 July. They pitched to a Dragon's Den-style panel in front of university representatives, business leaders and entrepreneurs. Data Science and Artificial Intelligence alumnus Darlington Nwosu was awarded £12,000 for Ceres-Carbon Reports, a carbon reporting platform. The funding will help put the platform into production, strengthen cyber security and convert pilot projects into paying customers. Hephzibah Gad, who has just completed her first year of Business Management, received £8,000 for Unity Eats, an African fusion pop-up eatery. Sports Performance Analysis student Alex Le Ray was given £2,000 to attend the Bremen Space Conference, where they will present the Fusion Propulsion business concept to an international audience. The £22,000 prize fund came from £21,000 from the Higher Education Innovation Fund and £1,000 from Connected Innovation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/08/Summer-bootcamp-2-1.jpg) Hephzibah Gad pitching her business Unity Eats at the summer bootcamp finale (Photo: University of Suffolk) **What they're saying:** Darlington Nwosu said: "It feels great, it validates our idea and gives me great confidence to move forward and launch properly. Learning about marketing and branding was really insightful." Hephzibah Gad added: "It feels incredible and very humbling. Winning this funding is a great vote of confidence in the vision behind Unity Eats. It motivates me even more to build a business that celebrates culture, brings communities together through food and creates meaningful opportunities for others." Hannah Page, business engagement consultant and project lead for the bootcamp, said: "Every year we are inspired by the ambition, creativity and resilience by our students and graduates who take part in the bootcamps, and it was fantastic to see participants from such a wide range of courses applying entrepreneurial thinking to real-world challenges and bring their business ideas to life." **What's next:** Organisers are already planning next summer's bootcamp and are inviting local businesses to get involved through mentoring, judging, sponsorship or running workshops. **The bottom line:** Three Suffolk entrepreneurs have turned business ideas into funded ventures, with the university now looking to local businesses to help support next year's cohort. --- **Don't forget:** If you enjoy our content, please [add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) so you can easily find more of the content you value. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) --- ### This article cost us \~£21 to produce It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners. Please support us by supporting them.