Kids clothes & Mud ice cream top Startup pitches

Congratulations to two of our talented ākonga, who’ve had their entrepreneurial projects recognised at this year’s Startup Dunedin Student Pitch Competition.

Recent Master of Design (Fashion) graduate Yasomali Sandaruwani (Sanda) and Bachelor of Culinary Arts 2nd year student Emily Gilbert claimed two of the top awards at Pitch Night on Tuesday.

Otago Polytechnic's Yasomali Sandaruwani (Sanda) & Emily Gilbert (left and second from left) with fellow winners

A final lineup of students from Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago got to present and share their startups, side hustles, research projects, and not-for-profits, from a list of 35 pitches submitted to Startup Dunedin.

Along with a total prize pot of $5,000 on offer to support the projects, the tertiary students were able to get feedback from experienced entrepreneurs and investors, connect with Dunedin’s startup community, and receive tailored support to help them take their next steps.

Sanda’s colourful and practical, eco-conscious clothing line for young children impressed the judges.  She began designing her collection of adjustable childrenswear for growing bodies as part of her Master’s programme at Otago Polytechnic’s School of Design.

Her fledgling business - Made to Grow, Built to last: Sewlutions Studio - won the Best Emerging Startup Award ($1000 prize, sponsored by Emerge), and also took home an Applied Innovation Award ($250).

Sanda was selected to be part of Startup Dunedin’s Audacious programme in January, which provided her with a valuable opportunity to expand her network, connecting with students from diverse disciplines and multiple nationalities.

She says the programme provided her with excellent guidance and support, and encouraged her to consider her project and collection as a viable business opportunity.

“This is a great platform for Otago Polytechnic students to be involved with,” says Sanda.

“My gratitude to staff (including Rekha Rana Shailaj, Simon Swale and Margo Barton), fellow students, and the team at Startup Dunedin for providing this opportunity for me to progress my clothing business.”

Sanda acknowledges the mentorship of Product Design senior lecturer Andrew Wallace in refining her pitch for the student competition.  She’s now working with lecturer Alex Gilks to develop her website and branding initiatives.

Meanwhile, Emily won the Best Momentum Award ($1000 prize, sponsored by Momentum) and an Applied Innovation Award ($250) for her innovative potato-based plant milk ice cream brand, Mud.  

Her launch product, a Chocolate "Chip" Crunch dairy-free ice cream, reused food waste from the Heartland Potato Chip factory in Timaru, and was developed with the help of Patti’s & Cream owner Olive Tabor.

Emily says the whole pitch process was a very rewarding challenge.

“It was really awesome to get to see what amazing work everyone else has been doing, and meeting all the incredibly helpful people who came to watch.”

She’s grateful to senior Culinary Arts lecturer Tim Lynch and the rest of the team at the Food Design Institute for their support of her tasty project, which gained nationwide media attention.

Emily is now planning to focus on developing new flavours to integrate with her potato milk ice cream, with potential summer tastes including pineapple upside-down cake, cherry dark chocolate, and gumdrop.