06/06/2025
Across the Channel with Tads Ciecierski-Holmes
The 鶹ӾEntrepreneurship Competition is open to anyone with a Cambridge College affiliation – this year, a 鶹Ӿmember was present in four of the shortlisted teams. This year's prizes were made possible by our generous sponsors: , , and . Thank you to alumni Omar Majid, Christian Bunke, and Ami and Raj Kotecha for supporting entrepreneurship at Wolfson.
This year's overall winning team was Rapidx bio, represented by Nipun Sawhney and Mohamed Rammal. Rapidx bio, which won the top prize of £6,250, is developing a portable device to reduce pathogen detection time from over three days in laboratories to under ten minutes using plasmonic PCR technology, and ensure accurate healthcare diagnoses and appropriate treatment are provided during the first consultation. Rapidx bio was a top scorer with the judges, who were impressed with the strength of the idea, quality of the team, clarity of their presentation, and societal impact.
"It was a privilege to present at 鶹ӾCollege. We did not expect to win the competition on the day at all, so it was a great surprise that we were unanimously selected as the overall winner by the incredible panel of judges. The pitch felt like a conversation rather than a test because of the quality of the audience... we learned a lot on the day from the panel and the audience, and look forward to the opportunity to be more involved and contribute to the thriving entrepreneurial community that 鶹Ӿhas fostered." - Rapidx bio
Prizes of £3,125 were awarded in the categories of Global Health and Sustainability & Conservation:
- Peter – won for Global Health
- Kalamna Global – won for Sustainability & Conservation
After witnessing his father struggle with Parkinson's, 鶹Ӿalumnus Jonathan Fisher was inspired to develop Peter, a wearable device designed to help people with Parkinson's regain their ability to walk. Jonathan and current 鶹ӾPhD candidate Campbell Wolford hope this innovation will improve mobility and independence for Parkinson's patients.
“Winning this award means the world to us. It’s our first official investment, and we’re incredibly proud that it’s come from 鶹ӾCollege – the place where we met, and where Peter started to grow. This support gives us the chance to begin developing Peter and make a real impact for people like my father living with Parkinson’s around the world.” – Peter
Kalamna Global is an education service provider aiming to elevate Arabic language teaching to the level of other global languages. The team are turning their 10+ years of teaching and 10+ years of academic research to provide solutions that address the root challenges found in Arabic language teaching and learning.
The Competition is an important demonstration of Wolfson's commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial talent in the Cambridge community and creating a global network of exchange and mentoring. Wolfson's President, Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu, said, "We were impressed by the quality of the pitches and the clear route to profitability displayed by some of the applicants."
“To be an entrepreneur is to engage in a long and iterative process to bring something new to the world. Winning an entrepreneurship competition like Wolfson's was a wonderful moment of validation along our journey.” – Kalamna Global
To find out more about the 鶹ӾEntrepreneurship Hub, upcoming events, mentoring, and how to get involved ahead of next year's competition, visit the Hub's main page.
