News | 'Shampoo Girl' cleans up at NSEC / Shell LiveWIRE Pitching Competition
Monday 01 March 2011
21yr old Mhairi Threlfall, a Chemistry graduate from the University of Bristol, won £1,000 for her innovative new shampoo at NACUE's National Student Enterprise Conference in Manchester on 26-27 February 2011.
Mhairi was one of 19 young entrepreneurs who pitched their business idea to Shell LiveWIRE's Anna Lawn-Thomas and Paul Lancaster on Day 1 of the event, before being shortlisted to pitch again to the entire audience of delegates the next day.
Originally from Musselburgh in Scotland and now working as 'Entrepreneur in Residence' at the University of Bristol, Mhairi has developed a unique process for replacing shampoo surfactants with clay particles to offer a more environmentally friendly and effective way to clean your hair.
Of the 4 people shortlisted for the £1,000 cash prize, Mhairi was chosen as the outright winner from audience reaction after delivering a brilliant pitch to a packed conference theatre of fellow student entrepreneurs from across the UK. (To watch Mhairi's winning pitch, please click on the video player in the top right hand corner of this page).
Mhairi Threlfall shortly after winning the £1,000 prize for her business
About the award, Mhairi said "I still can't believe it - the pitch competition has really given me a lift and inspired me to push forward with my idea!"
She now plans to use the money to apply for patent searches for her product 'Cotta Vienne' and possibly attend an MIT conference later this year.
The Runners Up
The other young entrepreneurs shortlisted were;
- James Giles (Fastbleep) - an MB PhD Student at the University of Manchester whose social enterprise aims to use the latest web technologies to promote social mobility within healthcare education and training.
- River Tamoor Baig (S1 Magazine) - the creator of a new interactive magazine based in Sheffield which uses QR barcodes to offer exclusive offers and content, plus a platform for up-and-coming student writers and designers.
- James Abrahams (The Tribes Online) - a student at the University of Manchester's Institute of Science and Technology who has developed an open-source content management system for the church to build their own website, engage with their congregation and support good causes.
Reviews, Photos and Tweets about NSEC 2011
NACUE Reshaping Britain Press release
‘Twitter Wall’ of selected Tweets
Win £1,000 for your business
If you're aged 16-30 and think you've got an innovative new idea for a business, apply online for one of our monthly £1,000 Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Awards.
