LBS incubator start up scoops top prize in competition

SalesGossip, co- founded by Zabetta Camilleri, MBA2000, and Emilio Sanz, MBA 2011, has won the top prize of £25,000 in the RBS EnterprisingU business plan competition. Run by Find Invest Grow (FIG) and sponsored by the RBS Group and LinkedIn, the competition received 1,317 entries, with only six start-ups making the final shortlist.

SalesGossip, an online and mobile service that alerts buyers when new fashion sales are announced, was supported by the School’s business incubator (Update link).  Run in collaboration between Career Services and the Deloitte Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the incubator helps to facilitate a select number of graduating MBA students and recent graduates who have set up or are in the process of launching a business. 

Shortlisted contestants had just 10 minutes to pitch and answer questions from a 150-strong audience made up of early-stage investors and members of the press.  SalesGossip emerged triumphant, with judge Rupert Turnball, publisher of Wired, stating “Zabetta expertly captured the audience’s attention, demonstrating her drive and passion for a hugely scalable business.  SalesGossip is everything a company should be today; social, mobile and hyperlocal.”

The £25,000 will play an integral role in developing SalesGossip’s current online and mobile service. 

Congratulations Zabetta and Emilio on winning this prestigious competition!