Henley Innovation Fund - Meet the Winners

Our first group of projects that received funding from the Henley Innovation Fund have been announced - meet them and their projects below.

As part of our commitment to entrepreneurship, Henley is investing in alumni projects at the earliest of stages. By providing funding, as well as mentorship support from our academics, we are bringing together industry and faculty to incubate exceptional talent. Read more about the winning projects below, in the words of our alumni.

Project Title: Tanks Coding Unplugged
Winner: Ryan Le Roux
Course: MBA

This project aims at covering important aspects of coding and robotics, making use of unplugged coding activities as well as the mobile coding apps TANKS, RANGERS and BOATS. This is done without the need for computer laboratories in schools, since the apps make use of customised tokens, image recognition and standard smart phones. The apps are complemented by various offline lesson plans which cover topics such as coding and robotics, design thinking, digital design and digital citizenship.

Within the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the new skills needed, the project aims to address many of the challenges faced by Computer Education in Africa including: Lack of Computers, Dysfunctional Laboratories, Lack of Electricity, Lack of Internet. In addition to the obvious technical (coding) skills needed in the 21st century, skills such as problem solving, strategy, communication and group work are often highlighted as skills needed in the future. By not being dependent on computers and internet connectivity, the project has a much wider potential footprint, then traditional projects reaching out to learners in Africa. 

Project Title: Gulab Haveli
Winner: Pushpender Singh
Course: MSc Real Estate

The Gulab Hhaveli project is a renovation of heritage building built in 1870 in Mandawa, a small town in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. The property as of now has a built-up area of 15,000 sq. ft. over two floors, with three courtyards and a terrace overlooking the city and the fort.

Funding will be used for restoration and preservation of a heritage building and its mega fresco artwork, specially a gold painted room which has been untouched from last 150 years and needs immediate repairs. This shall make the building a resilient and future proof which shall increase the value of asset and further help in overall growth of the area with impact investment as protection of cultural heritage is an integral part of UN’s Sustainable development goals to have a future of sustainable cities and communities.

Project Title: Eran Ogun
Winner: Jubilian Ngaruwa
Course: NICE Programme

For thousands of years the indigenous communities of Osun region of southwestern Nigeria have maintained and preserved a forest reserve popularly known as the Osun Osogbo sacred grove, now a UNESCO heritage site. This  sacred group houses 118 animal species, the sacred Osun river and the sacred Mona monkey. 

The first phase of the project will be a 10 minute documentary film that will takes viewers into this community as we unravel folklore and indigenous knowledge systems that has helped in preserving the natural world in the Yourba systems.

This documentary will be a story told by elders and hunters who are oral custodians of an ancient ancestral legacy of  traditional wildife conservation, and we will learn and understand how relevant these indigenous practices are in the fight against climate change and why it shouldn't be ignored. 

Project Title: Catenna
Winner: Josh Elliot
Course: MSc International Business Management

Catenna’s mission is to revolutionise the way businesses connect with research. Universities will suffer huge financial losses as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies finding that the UK higher education sector will endure losses ranging between £3bn to £19bn in 2020-21. University rankings play a key part of attracting prospective students but are heavily influenced by the results of conducting research. Catenna will enable universities to promote and generate research opportunities and generate income for their expertise.

Catenna will be a platform for business to connect with research institutions. This will enable greater collaboration through research to generate commercial value. More specifically it will provide means for universities and other research institutions to seek commercial exploitation partners for their research and for businesses to find research which contributes to their growth. In time, this will generate a market for funding providers to support projects between businesses and research institutions, aligned to their investment priorities or particular agendas such as Environmental Social Governance (ESG) tagged opportunities, or projects aimed at supporting UN Sustainable Development Goals.