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Hanze Dragon’s Den: First-Year Students Pitch Bold Business Ideas

Chris Wind Watch

At the Hanze Dragon’s Den, international business students pitch their startups, from self-tanning sunscreen to loyalty apps, in front of a jury.

Do you know Dragon’s Den, the TV show where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business plans to seasoned investors? At the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, first-year students from the International Business School stepped into the spotlight last week with their own startup ideas.

The student competition, part of a semester-long entrepreneurship project, is organised by the Hanze International Business Office (HIBO) in collaboration with the IBS entrepreneurship community. According to organiser Hanna van der Stok, the goal is to get students thinking and acting like real entrepreneurs from day one.

‘It’s a six-month project where students develop a business idea from scratch,’ she explains. ‘It all culminates in this Dragon’s Den-style event, where they pitch their concepts to a jury of professionals.’

From sustainable cosmetics to innovative customer loyalty apps, the variety of ideas on stage was impressive. One group pitched a hybrid product: a sunscreen that also works as a self-tanner. ‘We realised a lot of people still tan despite the risks of skin cancer,’ the student said. ‘So we thought, why not combine protection and beauty in one product?’

Other students tackled digital innovation. One pitch introduced Broken Ball, a new platform aiming to rethink customer loyalty in everyday transactions. Another project, Elevate Tasks, focused on helping students and small businesses organise their workflows more efficiently.

Jury members noted the high quality of the pitches, praising one group in particular for their synchronicity on stage, even if they didn’t end up winning. ‘If it were based on presentation alone, they would have taken the prize,’ one juror said.

In the end, there could only be one winner. And while the final verdict was handed down on just two pieces of paper, the event left a big impression on everyone involved.

‘I didn’t expect to win,’ one student admitted. ‘Honestly, I almost didn’t show up. I was scared. But then I told myself: this is my chance. So I took it.’