At this year’s Tycoon Awards and PJEA Graduation Ceremony, Anectote was crowned the 2023 Overall Winners of the Tycoon Enterprise Competition. The Tycoon team from Wycombe Abbey was awarded £1,000 investment by Peter Jones CBE at Hampton Court Palace.
Anectote designs and produces a variety of customised tote bags with their slogan “tell your story through anectote”. Their aim is to empower their customers to express themselves freely and honestly. By sourcing good quality bags that are manufactured in the UK; as well as donating half of their profits to Friends of the Earth, they demonstrated a care for both people and planet.
During the 2022-23 Tycoon Enterprise Competition, the Peter Jones Foundation has supported 365 teams, made up of 1,384 students from 90 schools, and offered a total of £44,876.45 in goodwill loans for teams to set up and run their businesses. The Tycoon Enterprise competition is a project-based programme which encourages young people to develop core enterprise skills. By giving students the opportunity to tackle the challenges of real-life work and business, they learn confidence, resilience, and creative problem-solving.
Peter Jones CBE, Chairman of Peter Jones Foundation said:
“It was truly inspiring to see all student entrepreneurs at the Tycoon Awards and PJEA Graduation Ceremony. Since the start of the Tycoon programme, the Peter Jones Foundation has given over £700,000 in start-up loans. It has been incredible to see the students develop through the programme, well done to everyone.”
At the Foundation, it is our mission to further enterprise education across the UK and beyond. We are proud of the tangible impact this programme has had over the past decade and we want to commend all the students who have poured their hearts in their businesses.
Tycoon Winners 2022/23
Tycoon 1K, KS3-4 Winners: Bathtub Bliss (Ormiston Forge Academy)
After extensive research, the team began to develop homemade bath bombs, with a combination of essential oils and fragrances to provide an aromatic experience. Placing their focus on selfcare and relaxation, they continuously developed new products to match the interests of their target market.
Tycoon 1K, KS5 Kits 4 Kids (Kimbolton School)
Taking advantage of the demand for eco-friendly products, this primary school team produced kits for kids which keep the footprint on the environment as minimal as possible. To expand their product range, the team released three kits for gardening, baking, and jewellery. They operated locally and was able to profit within their community.
Tycoon 3K Winners: Hot Spicy Flavour (East Durham College)
Hot Spicy Flavour is a tasty and affordable food business that is an alternative to the food provided by the college canteen. Customers were college staff, students, and people in the local area. Being passionate about sustainability, all materials used for the packaging were recyclable products, including the cutlery. The aim was to change the mindset of customers to move away from single use plastics to a more sustainable option.
Tycoon Business for Good Award: Tyde (Guildford High School)
Tyde was created to raise awareness on the effects of plastic on marine biodiversity. The environmentally friendly water bottles come in an assortment of colours and customisable dolphin designs. Every order comes with an informative activity booklet and five unique sea stickers. Half of the profits were donated to charities focused on protecting marine animals, such as Ocean Clean-up and Water-Aid.
Tycoon Innovative Business Award: Candlistic (East Durham College)
Candlistic offers wax melts shaped as different treats such as popcorn, chocolate, and ice cream. Anna Fidler, founder of Candlistic was also a National Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. She impressed the judges with her business pitch and received £2,500 as this year’s Highly Commended finalist.
People’s Choice Award: Sporty Crafts (Pool Hayes Primary)
Sporty Crafts works to improve the health and wellbeing of children through fitness, whilst also using profits to support local charities. Our guests were impressed by their business which is why they were voted this year’s People Choice Award.
For more information about Tycoon visit: www.tycoon.com