Published: 15 December 2023
On 13 December, University of Sunderland in London MBA students took part in a Rocket Pitch competition, held in conjunction with Arden University, where they showcased their innovate business ideas and demonstrated their entrepreneurial potential.
Starting your own business can be highly rewarding, but it can also be a challenging process – so testing your ideas, planning the business lifecycle, and understanding revenue models are crucial for success. With this in mind, the team of three MBA students - Osahon Aigbe, Maryna Murlian, and Rachael Ujunwa Obed – presented their group’s e-commerce platform business idea, where vetted suppliers from developing countries can meet potential buyers from developed countries and agree deals.
As part of the pitch, the students identified the existing problems, assessed the market potential, explained the business revenue model, and covered the business’ sustainability and long-term impact – gaining valuable experience for their future careers, whether as a business owner or as an employee.
Co-organised by Tawfiq Elahi, Programme Manager (Business), the event saw the University of Sunderland in London team compete against a team from Arden. As Tawfiq explains, the competition gave the students valuable business and career insight -
“New MBA graduates don't always realise how rewarding setting up your own business and being self-employed can be as career choice – especially given the increasingly competitive graduate jobs market. Events like Rocket Pitch give our students the opportunity to gauge the possibility of being an entrepreneur and helps them understand the lifecycle management of early-stage businesses. Thank you to academic and professional services colleagues for their support for the event.”
Both teams competed strongly, and it was a close result. Arden University, though, pipped our team to victory – congratulations to their team. Well done as well to the UoSiL team - Osahon, Maryna, and Rachael - for delivering a great pitch!