Is there a recipe we can follow to realise our dreams? I met with Strathclyde Student Entrepreneurs, Shubham Agarwal and Gabriel Szeiler, to find out the secret behind their success.
On 2 April, after a series of inspiring pitches by the finalists, Agarwal and Szeiler’s idea for Ecofy was voted the winner of the competition, which was developed by Strathclyde Inspire in partnership with the University’s Centre for Sustainable Development. They were awarded £2,000, while the runner-up teams didn’t go home empty-handed, each receiving vouchers for a meal.
Coming up with the winning idea was a challenge for this team of two.
It was a journey from “having a vague dream to the time you can actually percolate it down to make it sound like an actionable piece of chunk,” says Agarwal, an MBA student.
“There was a time when it was quite ambiguous, where we were juggling quite a few different things,” adds Szeiler, who studies Design, Manufacturing, and Engineering Management. “It was just trying to distil it down into something that was consumable.”
An important element of their collaboration was choosing an idea that they were both enthusiastic and passionate about, says Szeiler. But making sure it was something close to their hearts wasn’t the only factor they had to consider – addressing two UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDG4 (Quality Education) and SDG9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), was also a predetermined criterion. “That was the direction we were looking at, so we knew that sustainability was going to be an integral part of the idea we chose,” says Agarwal.
“We were also balancing being realistic with being aspirational, so it was a constant to-and-fro, and the idea kept on evolving along the way,” Agarwal explains. And so, during the final of the Exploring Entrepreneurship Challenge, they pitched Ecofy, a mark that builds a sustainable domestic supply chain and is easily recognisable for its sustainable and ethical manufacturing.
“I think the pitch was perfect,” says Agarwal.
So, how do you deliver a perfect pitch? Here’s what worked for the Ecofy team.
“We really did work hard for it,” Agarwal says. “We dedicated evenings where we wanted to go out and booze, we had assignments pending, we’d want to play a game, but there was still work to be done. We were just slogging it out, in the common room, going out, interviewing people.”
Preparation is key. “Before pitching the idea during the final,” recalls Szeiler, “we went up to people on the street and interviewed them about local manufacturing in Scotland.”
Knowing they had “to pitch this in front of lots of people, and they’re going to be very critical of the idea,” Szeiler explains that “you’re constantly thinking: how are they going to tear this apart? What are they going to ask us? These kinds of tricky questions, and you formulate the idea based on what you might be asked.”
“We showed our pitch to numerous people, and we asked them to literally grill us,” adds Agarwal. What helped them most, he says, was “a lot of question-and-answer handling” before the event and having “clarity about what it is that we’re pitching, what is the product we’re giving.”
Szeiler, who delivered the pitch before they both took questions from the panel, says: “You want to engage people. It’s more about how you make them feel than what they’ll remember, because they won’t remember most of it, but if you can emotionally resonate with people, that’s really important. Especially in five minutes, it’s got to be memorable, and you’ve got to connect with people.”
Agarwal, who has lauched some startups in the past, but had less success in turning them into fully-fledged businesses, says that “a large part of what business is about is networking; it’s making these connections, getting people to care about what you’re doing.”
With that in mind, they decided that “at least 70% of the room should know what we’re going to speak about.” And so, recalls Agarwal, “when we came into the event, we were just saying hi, hello, getting to know people, because we were also there to make connections.
“And we walked into that room like we owned it.”
Strathclyde Inspire is a fantastic opportunity for participants to delve into the essence of entrepreneurship and gain skills that will enhance their employability. The programme provides them with resources, a mix of online and in-person learning experiences, as well as a mentor to guide participants through the final stages of developing their ideas.
Kenny Wiggins, a Chartered Manager with a BSc(Hons) in Production Engineering Management and an MBA from the University of Strathclyde, mentored the Ecofy team.
“He was kind of the perfect mentor for us, very specific to what we were doing,” says Szeiler, before adding, “I think he was confident that these guys know what they’re doing.”
“He really guided us well, supported us along the way, and he was there to celebrate with us at the event, cheering for us,” says Agarwal.
Both Szeiler and Agarwal make a great team. “I think we’re good friends now,” says Szeiler. What’s their secret? According to Agarwal, “A very open channel of communication with your team will really work wonders.”
As for advice for future participants, Szeiler encourages students to pick an idea they’re enthusiastic about. “You’ve got to have passion for it, and definitely put in the effort,” he explains. “Treat it like you’re actually pitching this, and you really want to turn it into a startup.” He adds: “If you just have one person pitching, it’s much easier to build that rapport with the audience.”
“When you’re going in there,” says Agarwal, “you’re going in there as a team to win. You’re not going in as individual, fragmented egos; you go as one cohesive unit, which goes in, conquers, comes back, and celebrates.
“Dream high, dream big, and make it seem like it’s easy to do. Make the pitch so a 12-year-old can understand it. Keep it simple, keep it non-technical, keep it emotional.”
Hi, I am Julia Braun Raven, an award-winning student journalist, having been named Arts Writer of the Year at the Herald Student Press Awards 2026. Following this achievement, I am continuing to develop my journalistic skills and contribute to The Herald’s arts and culture section under the mentorship of Arts Correspondent Brian Ferguson.
I am a third-year Journalism, Media & Communication and English & Creative Writing student. I was re-elected as Editor-in-Chief of the Strathclyde Telegraph for 2026/27. Alongside preparing for the new academic year, I am delighted to continue working with the team to create a student newspaper that reflects student life on campus, while also covering the wider issues shaping the world around us.
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