Sheffield Student Up For UK Entrepreneur Award.

PRLog (Press Release) – Jan 28, 2008 – A student selling luxury jewellery online has been short-listed in the competition to become Britain's next Unipreneur. Ike Sikuade, a Chemical & Process Engineering student at the University of Sheffield, and her sister Marion were frustrated by the lack of sophisticated luxury jewellery available online, and decided to design and create their own bespoke range.

Soon friends and family were desperate to get their hands on the elegant pieces and the sisters realised there was a demand for such a product in the luxury online market. The brand’s elegance is reflected its website, luxury silk packaging. Colour Couture, was barely set up few months ago but has since caught the attention of the British press including BBC radio and The Sheffield Telegraph.

Speaking about the inspirations behind her designs, Ike said: “Most of my creativity and ideas developed while growing up in Nigeria where couture fashion is bold, distinct and colour rich’.

Shortly after setting up the business Ike entered the government-backed HSBC Unipreneur Awards, and has beaten hundreds of young hopefuls to be short-listed for the inaugural HSBC Unipreneur Awards.

The Awards, sponsored by HSBC Bank and presented in association with the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE), follows a recent study that suggests there could be as many as 80,000 students running a campus-born business – with some already on the way to their first million.

Her entry will be considered by a panel of local business experts who will select 10 top new businesses to go through to the national heats. The competition culminates with five finalists being quizzed on stage by a panel of experts at a gala evening at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' headquarters in Piccadilly, London.

HSBC Head of Business Banking, Huw Morgan, said; "There is a new breed of young businessmen and women on the block who don't plan to use a good education making money for someone else – we call them the Unipreneurs and we are keen to support them.

"Their academic study has given them an awareness of structure and an appreciation of discipline.

"They have an understanding of business plans, finance and strategic thinking. They are analytical, creative, focused and so bring credibility to their business ventures that make them enthusiastic and competitive.

"We are delighted to sponsor these unique Awards in association with the NCGE, which will recognise their growing contribution, both to the community and the economy."