Business news
-
Alumni founded ORB Innovations acquired by US-based Glidewell for development of smart oral appliances technology
A start-up founded by engineering alumni that has developed a unique technology platform to measure physiological parameters, such as heart rate, as well as biomechanics, such as head impacts, is acquired by California-based Glidewell, a global leader in custom dental solutions.
-
Alumnus becomes policy researcher in football regulation
Sports Science with Management alumnus Jonny Kilgallon has recently landed a new role in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as the new Policy Researcher in Football Regulation.
From Loughborough to sport to a role in the government, we chatted to Jonny to find out more about his career so far and what the new role will look like. -
Alumnus co-founds online marketplace for users to share and exchange skills
Ifedayo Ojo is the co-founder of Kabarter, a platform that focuses on allowing its users to build a community of skills which they can then trade.
-
The Loughborough family meets Net World Sports
Net World Sports is a company that designs and manufactures sports, fitness, leisure, home and garden products.
A relatively young company, they currently employ several Loughborough graduates from a range of degree courses. Here we find out about the variety of roles our graduates are in, what attracted them to the company, and how Loughborough helped them on their career journey -
Award-winning alumna uses textile design skills to create bespoke woven fabrics for interiors
Sophie Clarke began her business, Sophie Clarke Designs, after having to leave her graduate job and move home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
-
Shweshwe Baby, a family run clothing and accessory shop for babies and young children
Alumnus Alex Whyatt and his wife are the founders of Schweshwe Baby, a clothing brand based in South Africa.
-
The University’s business incubator, LUinc., has recruited two entrepreneurial Loughborough graduates to lead on their business start-up programme
Alex Taylor and Andres Urena will lead a project to encourage and support aspiring entrepreneurs from across the region to explore business start-up, recruiting cohorts of new business founders and working with them directly to help develop and progress their businesses.
-
Alumnus shares story of how Loughborough shaped his personal training career
Simon Long always aspired to work in fitness and personal training, but a few years into his career he felt dissatisfied with his progression and enrolled in Loughborough to drive change in his professional life.
-
LUinc. now recruiting for business start-up programme worth £10,000
LUinc., Loughborough University’s business incubator is now taking expressions of interest in their 6-month incubator programme.
-
Forbes 30 under 30 Europe recognises three Loughborough graduates
Three Loughborough alumni, Adelina Zotta and Habib Hajallie and Dalraj Nijjar have been named on the prestigious list for their achievements in their respective fields.
-
Coaching with Liv: Alumna launches lifestyle business aimed to help people make the first step towards change
Olivia McQuillan, who graduated from International Relations in 2013, has launched Coaching with Liv, a personal and professional coaching service.
-
Alumnus launches KARIBANI: an African language marketplace
Dr Ayodeji Akiwowo completed his Civil and Building Engineering PhD in 2012 and has recently set up an online website to help people learn African languages.
-
Loughborough University graduate startup programme is open for applications
Graduate start-up programme, The Studio, is open for applications from Loughborough University graduates who want to launch or develop their own businesses.
-
Loughborough graduate entrepreneur is among Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation
Loughborough University graduate entrepreneur Kate Allan is among the winners of this year’s Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award – and has much to celebrate today, International Women’s Day.
-
Alumna’s business offers cruelty free beauty products
Dr Leanne King has recently launched her business, Beauty Favours, offering a range of cruelty free soaps, shampoos and beard wash.
-
Alumna recognised as a Rising Star in Women in Finance Awards
Anya van den Berg (Ergonomics, 2007) has been recognised as a Rising Star at the Markets Media European Women in Finance Awards.
-
Alumnus founded Loughborough University spinout Figura Analytics closes seed investment round to take nanotech solution to the drinks industry
Loughborough University spinout Figura Analytics has successfully closed a seed funding round, led by a syndicate of angel investors, to bring its nanopore technology to the drinks market this year.
-
Alumnus becomes majority shareholder of Coventry City Football Club
Doug King has recently completed a majority purchase of Coventry City and now owns 85% of the club.
-
Alumnus shares experience of founding a home care service
Tom Page (Politics, History, and International Relations, 2010) is the Founder and Managing Director of West Park Care.
-
Alumnus wins Santander X Launch Award for Kitt Medical
Zak Marks (Industrial Design and Technology, 2020) was recognised for his healthtech start up ‘a defibrillator for allergies’, which he began shaping while studying at Loughborough, at the Santander X Awards last week.
-
The Bug Factory launches internationally to re-shape the future of pet feed
The Bug Factory’s mission is to empower people to reduce their carbon footprint, reuse their food waste and create continuous, sustainable animal feed. The brand is aimed to help fight climate change starting with Mealworm-growing pod innovation
-
The world’s first fitness tracker in a gumshield is available now on Kickstarter
The ORB Smartguard is unique because it can track critical fitness indicators like heart rate as well as head impact data. It can do this on the pitch if you play rugby or hockey or in the ring if you box or do combat sports. Your data is available to you on a dedicated App during or post session and will allow you to build a detailed picture of your performance and risk factors.
-
Alumnus launches Sherpa website to guide families to school tutors
Alumnus Conor Hughes (Robotics, Mechatronics and Control Engineering, 2022) has successfully launched an online service that enables families of school children to find private tuition. Once someone has registered on the Sherpa platform they can contact tutors, book introductory meetings and schedule lessons.
-
Celebrating our alumni during Black History Month: Aisha’s perspective
As we mark Black History Month (BHM), we also celebrate the achievements of our alumni. Here, alumna Aisha Adedeji – a member of the Alumni Advisory Board – has shared an insight into her perspective on Black History Month as well as her career and some personal experiences.
-
Start-up set to support families to understand, find and fund elderly care
Alumnus Ronan Harvey-Kelly (International Business, 2021) dedicated his first year after graduation to help develop Lottie.org, a care support website, and is a member of the founding team.
-
Alumni launch platform to help students find freelance opportunities
A trio of former Loughborough students have created a community network, HyreHub, to support students in finding freelance work.
-
Alumni duo create the next-generation smart sports mouthguard
Robert Paterson (Product Design Engineering 2017) and Thomas Quinn (Electronic and Electrical Engineering 2018) are the Co-Founders of ORB Innovations, who have created the world’s first smart sport mouthguard that allows contact & combat sport athletes to track their performance and wellness with heart rate and head impacts. It’s the world’s first mouthguard that monitors both physiology and biomechanics.
-
Supporting Black people in the construction industry: an insight into alumnus Amos Simbo’s company, network, and passion for engineering
Alumnus Amos Simbo has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, having studied at the University from 2008-2011. Amos travelled to the UK from Zimbabwe in 2005, chasing his passion for engineering and entering the University through clearing.
-
Julie’s ski maps become a hit on the slopes
In 2009, Julie Slaughter (Sports Science and Geography 1997) opened The Wipeout Europe business with the creation of the first ski piste map printed on microfibre for a European ski resort. The collection now covers over 100 resorts in France, Italy, Austria, Spain, and Andorra.
-
Alumna sets up business to support independent creators
Vanessa Wong launched Qraftie.com in 2019, an online marketplace for handmade goods based in Hong Kong.
-
AI Company of the Year: Alumnus' company celebrated at British Data Awards
Wearable sports tech company INCUS Performance has been named AI Company of the Year at the 2022 British Data Awards in a quality field that included FTSE 100 giants, tech unicorns, public sector bodies and not-for-profit organisations.
-
Sculptural commission installed on Loughborough campus
On 9 May 2022, the Torque sculpture was unveiled. The artwork, created by Fine Art alumnus Ian Tricker, is situated on the side of the Eccleston Student Engineering Centre.
-
LayBakPak and soak up the sun: Alumnus invents new convertible backpack
After qualifying as a teacher, alumnus Jonathan Davies (PGCE 1979) began to produce designs for several new products, leading him to invent a revolutionary new backpack for travellers.
-
Graduate inventor Thomas receives investment from previous LSU Enterprise Exec
Thomas Constant (Industrial Design and Technology 2018) is the founder of BeoBia, who are developing an insect growing pod for people’s homes which will provide a sustainable and healthy source of protein while reusing household food waste even in the most urban of locations.
-
Loughborough engineer appointed to two top tribunal roles
Loughborough University Alumna, Eur Ing Dr Phebe Mann (Construction 1985) has been appointed to the Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber (Transport Jurisdiction) and First-Tier Tribunal General Regulatory Chamber (Transport Jurisdiction) by the Lord Chancellor.
-
Alumna uses animation skills to support company rebranding
Kate Harwood is a social media intern at the start-up company The Garden, an online platform which supports academics and experts by giving them a space to share their expertise and research to a ‘community for the curious’ through interactive live talks and community discussions.
-
Personal Best: My Story returns with Alumni President Oliver Sidwell
Alumnus Oliver Sidwell is the Co-Founder and Director of RMP Enterprise, a business he launched with fellow Loughborough students in the final year of his degree. In the years since, the business has grown, evolved, and developed new offerings. For the first in-person Personal Best: My Story talk since 2019, our Alumni President headed to Loughborough University London to share insights into launching and running RateMyPlacement, with a particular focus on managing money.
-
Graduate start-up approaches investment target to launch multi-award-winning durable sports earbuds
A consumer electronics start-up, founded by a Loughborough graduate is close to completing their third investment round to launch what is believed to the world’s ultimate sports earbuds.
-
Business nominated for Micro-Business of the Year
Jack Chapman (Sport Management 2017) is the founder of Kingsbury Lawn Care, an award-winning lawn treatment service based in the West Midlands.
-
SBE alumni gather for an evening at The Shard
On 23 February 2022, alumni who graduated from the School of Business and Economics (SBE) attended an event to ‘Connect, Engage and Network’.
-
Alumna Rene to release workplace toolkit for Black students and professionals
Rene Germain (International Business 2016) is set to release her book, ‘Black and Great: The workplace toolkit, a careers book for Black students and professionals’on 12 May.
-
Digital canes, sustainable textiles, and insects: Alumni start-ups secure Young Innovator Awards
Anthony Camu, Thomas Constant, and Jess Strain will each receive a £5,000 grant, one-on-one business coaching and an allowance to cover living costs.
-
Alex launches sustainable shoes in time for Veganuary
Alumnus Alex Ward is set to release 2,000 pairs of his new sustainable, vegan shoes to kick off the new year.
-
Alumnae trio go global with new marketing agency
In April 2021, three alumni co-founded ActLocal, a marketing partner supporting overseas enterprises entering the Chinese market.
-
Graduate startup Alcuris is acquired by The Access Group, extending its social care proposition in the provision of in-home digital care monitoring
A telecare company founded by a Loughborough University graduate has become part of The Access Group, a leading provider of business management software to UK, Ireland and Asia Pacific mid-market organisations.
-
New graduate business offers range of Afrocentric loungewear and accessories
In August 2021, alumna Eunice Kormi launched her business IMROK.
-
Alumna recognised as global champion of inclusion
Aisha Adedeji has been named on the HERoes Top 100 Women Future Leaders list 2021.
-
Alumna creates company to support small businesses and e-commerce brands
Earlier this year Connie Amode set up Magnet AMS, a business supporting small companies to increase their impact in online marketplaces.
-
Alumni launch Kickstarter for board game
Alumni couple Lottie and Jack Hazell co-founded their publishing company Birdwood Games in 2020, and will launch their first board game, Dog Park, on Kickstarter on 14 September.
-
Children’s physiotherapy aid in development by alumna
Katie Michaels, a 2020 graduate of Industrial Design, has been working with Loughborough University’s Studio to start her own business.
-
Pandemic inspires alumna to start eco-friendly business
The pandemic inspired alumna and current member of staff at the University, Helina Turbel to turn her graphic design hobby into a small business.
-
David’s latest venture brings brownies to your door
Alumnus David Stretton-Downes is a serial entrepreneur and adventurer. In his latest venture, David has co-founded BOBBIE’s Brownies with the aim of becoming a household name in the UK chocolate brownie market.
-
Mentoring for Equality
Goal 17, founded by alumna Francesca Boorman, has pioneered an innovative new social impact programme to help close the gaps in society by bringing people from different backgrounds together.
-
The alumni behind Leicester City’s first-ever FA Cup win
Leicester City Football Club lifted the FA Cup trophy on Saturday 15 May 2021. Several alumni are on the staff at the club, including Assistant Manager, Chris Davies.
-
University nanotechnology spinout raises £180,000 in seed funding round
An alumni spinout, Figura Analytics, has raised £180,000 in seed round funding from private investors and the UK’s leading early-stage investor SFC Capital.
-
Queen's Award success for alumnus
Boardies Apparel, a swimwear brand founded by alumnus Nick Crook has been honoured with a prestigious Queen’s award for Enterprise in International Trade 2021.
-
The Future of Sustainable Protein
Graduate start-up company BeoBia founded by Thomas Constant is aiming to become the world’s leading retailer of sustainable home-grown insect protein.
-
Alumna launches new clothing business
Michaela de Sa has been working for the past year on her first range of garments for her company ohsoflirty.
-
Executive appointment for alumnus
MS Pharma have appointed Marc Westermann as its Vice President Commercial.
-
Alumna creates range of male grooming products
When former student Aminat Bashorun, became furloughed in 2020, she used the time to develop her own business, Beard Kings.
-
Theatre Company set up by alumni
A new theatre company has been established by a group of alumni.
-
Alumna artist sets up her own business
Sarah Lee who graduated with a degree in Industrial Design in 2020, has started a new venture, Today Sarah Made.
-
Dipesh Patel, Internet of Things expert, gives alumni careers talk
Dipesh Patel, who graduated with a PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering in 1995 is now leading technology innovation at Arm from Silicon Valley, California.
-
Brothers striving to keep kids active during lockdown
Two alumni brothers are striving to keep children active during the current lockdown by providing fun exercise classes through their own TV channel.
-
Kickstarter launched by alumnus for 3D printer
Loughborough graduate Ian Wilding has launched a Kickstarter campaign to secure funds for his new product Plybot.
-
Creative alumni pivot their business in response to pandemic
Event Engineering, based in Loughborough, was founded in 2001 by three former students, Jamie Campbell, Mark Thornton and Paul Millard.