Three graduates from De Montfort University (DMU) Leicester are one step closer to launching their own businesses after winning £5,000 each, courtesy of a partnership between the university and Santander.
Sarah Jones, Alfie Dibrowa and Ed Somers all won the funding after pitching their business ideas to a panel of judges from the DMU Made team in a Dragons' Den-style pitch competition at the university.
Budding entrepreneurs who are either students or recent graduates deliver a 15-minute presentation to a panel of judges, followed by a Q&A session, as part of the DMU Made Santander Pitch Day.
The winners receive a £5,000 investment each from Santander, as chosen by the DMU Made panel.
Sarah Jones
Sarah, who studied for an MSc in Sustainable Textile Technologies and is currently studying for her PhD at DMU, is creating sustainable plant pots made from 100% British wool as an alternative to plastic pots.
Sheep's wool contains many natural nutrients, including nitrogen, sulfur, potassium, which can help plants develop. As her wool-based pots are planted into the ground as one with the plant, the material naturally degrades, releasing the nutrients and allowing the roots to grow through the fibres.
All her wool comes from local farmers and her business, Rooted in Wool, is set to start selling its first products in the coming weeks.
Sarah's win comes after securing a £2,000 investment in DMU Made's annual Pitch2Win competition, the finals of which take place during the Freelancing and Entrepreneurship Awards.
Sarah said: “I got the email and I couldn’t believe that I had actually won. It’s also a real vote of confidence in the potential of British sheep's wool as a sustainable fibre and I’m incredibly grateful to DMU Made and Santander for this accolade.
“Anyone who knows me knows I can talk for England but I do struggle with public speaking. I spent many years avoiding anything that's majorly uncomfortable. I feel like I'm at the stage of my life now where I am doing stuff I want to do, so I’m just going to put myself out there and really pitch my idea.
“I want to control the manufacturing of the business, so I’ve invested in a machine that will help me construct the plant pots because I’ve been making the prototypes by hand. I have my first batch of products nearly ready for sale and I want to be prepared for the next batch to go out.”
Ed’s business idea came from his passion for ice hockey, which he has played since childhood.
From Coventry, the Energy Engineering graduate has designed customisable and adjustable ice skate guards for players of all ages.
Ed Somers
He felt the traditional one-size-fits-all plastic skate guards were neither functional for all skaters nor fashionable enough to fit into the growing trend of customisable gear.
Seeing the gap in the market, he developed Edge Guard, using Fused Deposition Modelling and other additive manufacturing processes to create lightweight, impact-resistant and flexible guards that can be adjusted depending on the size of the skate.
Ed said that winning the investment has accelerated his ambitions and that he is preparing the first prototypes for his guards.
He said: “It feels amazing to win the investment. It’s a massive confidence boost and I'm starting things I planned to do six months down the line now.
“Everything on the market is currently just one size and the guard itself is very long – it keeps going well past where the skate actually ends.
“They don't look that great either and customisation is such a massive thing in ice hockey at the moment that it seems like there should be more out there in the UK. I’m involved with a developmental team after school and they love adding things like stickers to their gear, so why not their skate guards?
“I’m really the consumer for my business. There hasn’t really been much done in terms of skate guards for 30 years. I’m just trying to fulfil the need that I, and lots of other players, have.”
Mechatronics Engineering student, Alfie, has just shipped his first adjustable rear bike light products to backers on Kickstarter.
Alfie designed the light to mimic car signals, allowing riders to indicate and flash their hazard lights through a small Bluetooth remote that attaches to the bike’s handlebars.
Like Sarah, Alfie had successfully impressed a judging panel at the university’s Pitch2Win competition.
Alfie Dibrowa
Having launched his company, Pxle, and developed his prototype, Alfie is hoping that the £5,000 investment will allow him to produce his next batch of units.
He said: “I want to get 100 units made following the investment with improved, smaller electronics that are more cost-effective and more efficient to give users a longer battery life.
"I'm also exploring how I can keep pushing the cost per unit down so Pxle can eventually reach more riders at a better price point.
"I am keen to keep growing the brand online by running ads alongside viral organic content. Long term, I want Pxle to be the go-to rear light for cyclists who actually care about being seen - something riders rely on every time they go out."
Simon Baines, Enterprise Project Manager at DMU, led the judging panel for the DMU Made Santander X Pitch Day alongside Senior Lecturer in Enterprise Adele-Tilley Jones and Placement Officer Patrick McLintock.
Simon said: “We were blown away by the number of entries we received and the calibre of pitches on the day was first class. Sarah and Ed were exceptional. We can’t wait to continue supporting their entrepreneurial journeys through DMU Made within the Careers Team.”
DMU Made is hosting an online Freelancing & Entrepreneurship Summer School this August, which is open to all DMU students and graduates from 2024 onwards.
For more information about the services DMU Made provides budding entrepreneurs and freelancers, please visit the DMU Made website.
Posted on Monday 10 August 2026