Coventry design graduate up for entrepreneurial award

A graduate from Coventry University is in the running for a national entrepreneurial award.

Dudley based product designer Sanjeev Dass, 22, who graduated from Coventry University last year, is one of six nominees in the Most Innovative Start-Up category in the Start Young Global Young Entrepreneurs Awards 2014. 

Start Young Global is a worldwide network of young entrepreneurs, which provides guidance, advice and other resources to help new businesses and start-ups to develop and grow their brands.

Sanjeev’s nomination for one of their awards is a further boost for his recently established business Dass Design. His company’s very first commercial product, a handy home organiser called the key-pad, is currently shortlisted for the prestigious Shell LiveWire Grand Ideas Awards for innovative young business people in the UK. The key-pad also made the home accessories shortlist for the Giftware Association’s Gift of the Year 2014.

As a student Sanjeev always harboured ambitions of starting his own design company and during his final year he worked with Coventry University Enterprises Ltd (the University’s commercial subsidiary) to hone his business skills. He also took advantage of the ‘SPEED Plus’ enterprise support programme at the University’s Institute of Applied Entrepreneurship.

Sanjeev said:

As well as being a great place to study, Coventry University is a very positive environment for aspiring business people.  I’m really grateful for the support I received there when starting my entrepreneurial journey and if I emerge as one of the winners of the awards I’ve been nominated for I’m happy for the University to take some of the credit!

The winners of the Start Young Global awards will be determined by a combination of public and competitions judges’ votes. Public voting is now open until the end of March at www.startyoungglobal.com/vote. The winners will be presented with their awards at a ceremony in London in May this year.

Likewise, the Shell LiveWire award nominees are open to public votes and supporters of Sanjeev’s key-pad product can register their vote at www.shell-livewire.org/awards/grand-ideas-awards/ where they will also be able to view a 60 second video demonstration. Voting closes at midnight on Friday 28 February 2014.

Further information about Sanjeev’s company Dass Design is available at www.dassdesign.com.

To find out more about Coventry University’s product design degree visit the course page of the University website.