Student business Rêve wowed the judges in the last week of term to win the Enterprise Challenge Final.
The group presented an excellent pitch to the panel supported by an incredibly well-written and thorough business plan. The judges were unanimous in their decision to crown Rêve the winners. They were impressed by the originality of the team’s products, consisting of cuddly bunnies and blankets.
The other three finalist groups – Benebakes (brownies), Blend It (smoothies) and Benewrapped (scarves) – all did extremely well in reaching the final too.
The competitive Enterprise Challenge – the centrepiece of Benenden’s Sixth Form Professional Skills Programme – has all Year 12 students plan, launch and run a business. The challenge was developed in collaboration with senior figures in business and industry, many of whom lead sessions on the programme and act as mentors for the students’ business projects. Groups present their pitches to a panel of judges and at the end of the competition go head-to-head in a Dragons’ Den-style finale, feeding back on the profitability, sustainability and marketing success of their business.
The standard in the challenge was high this year, with students engaging with the process and developing valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, marketing and financial skills in the course of the challenge.