Weeks after scooping a national award, enterprising Loughborough graduate Simon Lyons is close to launching a unique storage system to end the frustration of losing things.

“When we get to work or home, we tend to drop things on the nearest surface, which then gets cluttered and valuable time is spent hunting for the things we need¹,” said Simon, who developed the concept whilst studying Product Design Engineering. “I wanted a solution that kept important things secure, fitted busy lifestyles and was fun and intuitive to use.”

Geco Hub’s patented design features an array of discs that part to grab hold of things such as mobile phones, keys and paperwork, whilst small things like jewellery, make up or loose change sit securely in its modular cells. Geco Hub’s design has also been praised for ease of use for people with physical disability or visual impairment, and it is ideal for caravans, campers and boats, where space is limited and essential things roll about unless firmly secured.

Geco Hub’s modular and customisable nature means that you can build your installation to a size, shape and pattern that suits you, creating something entirely unique in the process. It is one of a number of award-winning product innovations Simon has been developing in the Studio, Loughborough’s graduate commercialisation hub, which has supported his new business since he graduated with first class honours in 2013.

Simon’s latest award – undergraduate first prize in the Santander Universities Entrepreneurship competition – has helped him prepare for the crucial final phase that he hopes will see Geco Hub become a must-have product for the home.

Simon has just launched a Kickstarter campaign where supporters can pledge as little as £1 to help source the funds needed to go into mass manufacture – and receive their own Geco Hub for as little as £20.

Megan Powell Vreeswijk, Loughborough University’s Studio Manager, said: “Simon is an excellent ambassador for graduate enterprise. So far he’s funded his entire business venture with prize money for his ingenious designs. Geco Hub is a truly innovative product and I urge as many people as possible to help Simon bring it to market.”