IDEAFEST 2025 Final Held at Henley Enterprise Lab

Henley Enterprise Lab hosted the highly anticipated final of the annual IDEAFEST Business Idea Competition on 30 April 2025

The competition, aimed at discovering the best business ideas capable of commercialisation, the best sales value proposition, and the best business idea that can be commercialised in China, saw six finalists pitch their innovative concepts in person.

Pictured: Judges listening intently to finalists

Winning businesses & prize monies:

1. Best Overall Idea –Jarioke’s Jollof Sauce (£1,000)

2. Second Place – Re+Spore (£750)

3. Third Place & Best Sales Proposition – Stallion Heating (£500 + £750)

4. Best Idea for China – Re+Spore (£3,000)

Finalists:

1. Efficura – Hospital logistics system (Zach Croft-Sharland)
2. Grit – AI-powered leadership platform (Wei Zhang)
3. Jarioke’s Jollof Sauce – West African sauce for rice (Janet Otite)
4. Re+Spore – Biodegradable cutlery from mycelium (Yaroslav Tsyhanenko 
   & Vlad Melnyk)
5. Stallion Heating – Fuel from horse manure (Tom Lancaster-Eastwood)
6. Your Haven – Emotional wellness solutions (Ying Xie)

Pictured left to right: Tom, Janet, Vlad and Yaroslav

The winner of the Best Overall Business Idea was Janet Otite with Jarioke’s Jollof Sauce. An excited Janet said “Winning IDEAFEST is a dream come true. The support and feedback from the judges and fellow competitors have been invaluable. I am thrilled to take Jarioke’s Jollof Sauce to the next level.”

Mark Shraga, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at SCG, and IDEAFEST judge, commented, "IDEAFEST continues to inspire and nurture innovative minds. We are proud to support such a dynamic competition that fosters entrepreneurial spirit."

Pictured left to right: Zach, Ying, Wei and Jurek Sikorski

The competition was sponsored by Southern Communications Group and Savio Kwan, former President of Alibaba.

IDEAFEST 2025 highlighted the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of Henley students, with finalists receiving valuable feedback, cash prizes, and recognition for their ideas' global potential.