Design Centre incubatee wins Business Ideas Challenge
Rachael Carrington, a young designer whose company, Spatial Systems, a winner of the Business Ideas Challenge 2006, is based at University College Falmouth’s Design Centre, was recently announced at a prestigious awards ceremony.
The Business Ideas Challenge is organised in partnership with the Combined Universities in Cornwall, University of Plymouth Partner Colleges and the Tamar Science Park. The competition is designed to promote new business ideas and new business ventures in the South West.
The total prize package of £30,000 was divided between five categories, representing the different sectors participating in the competition – the Alumni and Tamar Science Park Prize, Best Combined Universities in Cornwall entry, Plymouth Staff and Students, Social Responsibility Prize and Overall Winner.
Rachael’s business idea, a unique modular system that allows a space to be altered and manipulated to suit a variety of uses, won the Best Combined Universities of Cornwall prize. Together with the £1500 in prize money, Rachael will also benefit from some expert mentoring from industry professionals.
“It’s amazing to have won,” says Rachael. “I was competing against a lot of other ideas, many of which were very impressive. Winning the competition really means that the judges have seen the merit of my ideas and the potential of the project.”
Rachael’s company, Spatial Systems, has been an ‘incubatee’ at At University College Falmouth’s Design Centre since last September and has already attracted a great deal of interest from outside investors.
The Incubatee Programme is a University College Falmouth hosted scheme to help people wanting to start a business obtain workspace and mentoring support. Currently these spaces are located in the College’s Design and Media Centres at its Tremough Campus.
Workspaces are charged at a nominal rate and include phone and computer use, and incubatees are also provided with helpful support from the College’s Business team regarding business planning, design leads, customer development, routes to markets and much more.
“Rachael came to the Incubatee Programme with a sound idea that she needed to develop,” says 3D Design Business Fellow, Chris Chapman who is the main creative force behind the Incubatee Progamme. “She has shown dogged determination to develop this idea into a business, and has managed to learn at high speed the skills required to succeed. She thoroughly deserves the award, and the recognition it will bring will help put a milestone in her career that she’ll be able to look back on and recognise as a turning point.”
“Being associated with the College has been really important to the development of my company,” says Rachael. “As well as support and help, especially from Chris Chapman, being based at the College has meant working in a very professional environment, and that’s been really important.”
To date Rachael’s work has involved providing visualisations for exhibitions and interior spaces and for landscapes, but she is currently working on a range of interior products such as lighting and furniture. Once developed, her new prototype, Modular Surface Assembly, will be of great interest to the retail, museum, advertising and exhibition sectors as well as having many other applications.
Ends
For more information on the Incubatee Programme please contact Vic Machon, Design Centre Bureau Service Co-ordinator on 01326 370756 or email vic.machon@falmouth.ac.uk
For further information about this press release, please contact Jilly Easterby, Public Relations Officer, University College Falmouth, Woodlane, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 4RH, Telephone: 01326 211077, Fax: 01326 212261, Email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk
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