Business opportunity for 16-25 year olds to win a £50k prize fund!

A prize fund worth £50,000 awaits the winner of Young Start-up Talent, an entrepreneurial initiative supported by a number of local businesses. The project was launched at the PROBIZ County Cricket Ground recently with over 30 local businesses present.

The initiative is aimed at helping 16-25 year olds with an entrepreneurial flair for business to make their dreams a realigvty. The winner will receive thousands of pounds worth of products and services donated by local businesses.

The initiative has been running successfully in the Gatwick Diamond for the past three years with a string of success stories including those that have gone on to start up a business, received work experience from the judges and sponsors with some leading to full time employment. This exciting opportunity is now open to 16-25 year olds who live, work or study in the Brighton and Hove region.  Visit www.youngstartuptalent to find out how to take part in this fantastic opportunity.

The judging panel consists of seven of the local leading business professionals and includes:  John Keenan – Business Editor of The Argus, Dean Orgill - Chairman – Mayo Wynne Baxter LLP, Matthew Tyson – Director - Richard Place Dobson, Gary Peters – Managing Director - BrightonandHoveJobs.com, Matt Turner – Director - Creative Pod, Lorraine Nugent – Director – Media Word Waves and Stephen Mason – Managing Director - Mason Consulting and entrepreneur who will independently be looking to invest in one of the entries.

It was announced that the closing date for entries for the Brighton & Hove region is 31st January 2013. In the meantime, the Young Start-up Talent judges and sponsors team will be visiting schools, colleges, universities and youth groups in the local area to deliver workshops and assemblies to inspire young people to participate.

The semi final will take place on Tuesday 5th March at City College and a further ‘Dragons Den’ style final with the judges will be filmed at the College on Tuesday 12th March. The winner will be announced at a grand unveiling event on Tuesday 26th March at the College’s restaurant at The Amex Community Stadium to an audience of approximately 300 key business partners and heads of local schools.

Speakers at the event included the founders of the initiative, Matthew Turner and Lorraine Nugent along with Matthew Tyson of Richard Place Dobson who has also been a judge for the project since its inception and started his career as an accountant with work experience at Richard Place Dobson some 20 years ago and is now the Director of the highly successful accountancy practice.

Other speakers included previous finalists who all told of how the opportunity was not all about the winner and talked of how being part of the initiative had worked for them. David Newark who went on to start his business Connect-a-gadget, Timothy Armoo who has also started a business – a magazine called EntrepreneurXpress and George Fisher who talked about how by taking part in the initiative had resulted in full time employment after work experience at Richard Place Dobson.

Stephen Mason of Mason Consulting and a proven entrepreneur with several successful businesses, with a combined turnover of over £60million told of his story. Stephen will be looking closely at all entries with a hope to invest in one of the entries.

Founders of the project, Lorraine Nugent and Matt Turner commented“We are excited and pleased to be bringing this initiative and opportunity to Brighton & Hove and delighted that so many are backing the initiative either financially or by providing products or services for the project. The initiative will enable the young entrepreneurs in the local area to be inspired and for some to achieve their goals of running a business. We hope that in the process we will also inspire others to consider it as an option”.

Sponsors of the initiative include:

• City College – Brighton & Hove
• Extech IT Solutions
• Mayo Wynne Baxter LLP
• Richard Place Dobson
• BrightonandHoveJobs.com
• The Argus
• Creative Pod
• Media Word Waves
• Brighton & Hove City Council
• Future Proof Consulting Solutions
• Mtc2
• Avensys
• MCR Print
• Sussex County Cricket Club
• Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce
• Fastsigns
• Young Enterprise
• Heart FM
• BIS

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