The judging panel awarded the £5,000 fund to William Prentice, a Peter Jones Enterprise Academy learner at Leicester College.

His pitch focused on his business idea Elite Scooters – a venture which specialises in designing and manufacturing freestyle scooter components.

As a freestyle scooter rider himself, William discovered there was a demand for components that catered for larger sized riders. After sourcing international markets for parts and orders, William demonstrated to the panel that his business plan was both achievable and credible.

William was delighted to have won the sponsorship. He said: “I am incredibly happy. I’ve worked really hard on this and I am passionate about it. I am really glad the panel have believed in my business plan and now I can move forward with my company and strive for success.”

The competition was open to all learners studying at Leicester College, who were asked to submit a proposal detailing how they would use the sponsorship money to develop their business idea.

Entrants were shortlisted down to five finalists who presented their ideas to the ‘dragon’s den style’ panel of representatives from Leicester College and Freeth Cartwright Solicitors.

Mukesh Patel and Simon Baigent, Partners at Leicester, Freeth Cartwright LLP said: “William has shown a high level of passion and business acumen. There is longevity in his business plan which is why we chose to award the grant to him. It is also inspiring to see someone so young be so passionate about their business plan.”

The standard of entries was extremely high again this year. The panel was very impressed with the level of expertise and attention to detail that each of the entrants demonstrated.

They were joined on the judging panel by Keith Whittaker, Deputy Principal, Curriculum and Programmes and Shabir Ismail, Finance Director at Leicester College.

Keith said: “William has spotted a niche in the market and he’s got a product that is clearly in demand.

He added: “All the finalists have demonstrated very good business ideas and I would like to thank them all for taking part today.”