An entrepreneur has been crowned Buckinghamshire's 'rising star' after winning a county-wide competition.
Mavesh Malik was awarded the title and a £2,500 grant after a rigorous council-funded programme of enterprise support.
The business owner, who recently launched Hope Naturals as a side-hustle, was thrilled to win the grant, which supports her mission to encourage households to live a zero-waste future.
Ms Malik said: "I could not be prouder of myself to win my very first business pitch competition.
"I’ve been busy with a side passion project - my start-up, Hope Naturals.
"We’re due to launch eco-friendly soaps and lotion bars for a sustainable future, crafted with luxurious natural ingredients.
"Winning the grant has given me such a boost and will enable me to accelerate my progress."
The programme, organised by LaunchIt, culminated in an event last month at the Patch Community and Events Centre in High Wycombe, where six finalists pitched for the grant.
The participants were mentored as they applied their learnings to their early-stage ideas.
The businesses competing for the grants included an app designed to help elderly people manage their medications, a design-to-order embroidered clothing business, and a Christian stationery brand.
Other ideas included no-plastic cleansing products for pets, a business running social events for international students at UK universities, and a natural haircare product targeting a gap in the hair growth industry.
The graduates from the 12-week StartUp bootcamp, delivered by Enterprise Nation and LaunchIt, studied everything from coming up with a business idea, to how to sell, and use digital tools.
A panel of experts judged the pitches, including Councillor Steven Broadbent, deputy leader of Buckinghamshire Council, and Mary Otumahana, the award-winning founder of Record Shop.
The judging panel was chaired by Pat Shelley, the CEO of Launch It.
Mr Broadbent said: "Buckinghamshire is known for its entrepreneurial spirit and the council works hard to create the right environment locally for start-ups to grow and thrive.
"We also work to encourage them to stay in the area, creating long term jobs and boosting the future economy of Buckinghamshire.
"That’s why we’re proud to be backing these future entrepreneurs with a targeted programme of support - and by working with experts like Enterprise Nation and Launch It, we can make sure the next generation of start-ups get the best start, by unlocking their potential."
The StartUp Bootcamp and a StartUp Saturday event that took place on the same day for more than 30 aspiring entrepreneurs are part of a broad range of overlapping support funded by money from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
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