Entrepreneurial student wins award

Funmilayo Taiwo has won the Kent Student award for Outstanding Student Entrepreneur of the Year.

The final year student of Computing and Business Administration with a Year in Industry  has been recognised for establishing a successful student cleaning business alongside her studies and helping to motivate and inspire fellow student entrepreneurs.

This award recognises an individual or team who have demonstrated passion, vision, drive and real personal growth as a result of running a business while studying at the University. The judges are less interested in profit and loss and more interested in what a student has taken from the experience (tackling of issues, challenges and opportunities). The winning students were announced at a Gala Dinner on Friday 8 May.

As further evidence of her innovation Funmilayo has entered an idea for a student registration app in Virgin Media’s Pitch to Rich competition.

‘Funmilayo is both a committed student and a dedicated, innovative business woman. While studying Computing and Business at the University of Kent, Funmilayo spotted a gap in the market and started her own student cleaning business, Tooclean. Through tenacity, hard work and a solid business plan Funmilayo has proved that it is possible to turn entrepreneurial ideas into successful businesses. She is also always willing to share her passion for business and her entrepreneurial expertise through her role as a Student Enterprise Ambassador and as the President of the Student Enterprise Society, which she started up this year.  Funmilayo supports, motivates and inspires other students to develop their own business ideas and encourages involvement in competitions.’