An Evening of Intent, Courage, and Momentum: Reflections from Our Elevator Pitch Session

Watch the full Elevator Pitch event back - https://www.youtube.com/live/lj_roeivTa0?si=Z6ktfL12afaaizq0

Apply to the program by Feb 1, https://platform.studentventure.io/project/nNabsmtnmnpgCr1akytF

Ts and Cs and judging criteria https://www.studentventure.io/entrepreneurshipcompetitiontermsandconditions 

There is a particular kind of energy that fills a room when people decide to show up before they feel ready. That was the defining feeling of this evening’s elevator pitch session — a space full of founders choosing courage over comfort, curiosity over certainty, and momentum over perfection.

This was the first live elevator pitch session of the UniDays Student Startup Competition. It brought together students and early-stage founders from across the UK, each stepping forward with an idea they care about deeply, and the intent to make it real.

The bravery of going first

An elevator pitch is deceptively simple. Sixty seconds. One problem. One idea. One human voice.

But beneath that simplicity sits vulnerability. Tonight, founders spoke about loneliness, broken university systems, health, movement, volunteering, community, and belonging. These were not abstract business ideas. They were personal frustrations, lived experiences, and quiet injustices that had finally reached a tipping point.

From Manchester to Coventry, Bristol to London, each founder brought a different lens — yet a shared willingness to stand up and be seen. That matters. Because the first real act of entrepreneurship is not building a product. It is claiming the right to try.

Feedback as fuel, not judgement

What made the session special was not just the quality of ideas, but the tone of the feedback.

Guidance was generous, direct, and grounded in respect. Questions weren’t designed to catch people out, but to stretch their thinking. “How big could this be?” “What makes this different?” “Where would you start?” These are not criticisms — they are invitations.

And importantly, founders received permission to be unfinished. Long pitches can be shortened. Focus can be sharpened. Stories can be refined. What cannot be taught so easily is intent — and that was present in abundance.

Solving problems that matter

A recurring theme throughout the evening was empathy. Many of the strongest ideas came from founders solving problems they had personally experienced: being lost in a new city, falling through institutional cracks, struggling to find community, or wanting health products that feel human rather than clinical.

This is not accidental. Startups that begin with lived experience often carry a depth of understanding that market research alone cannot replicate. They start closer to the truth — and that gives them a powerful foundation for validation, MVP design, and customer discovery.

Peer support in action

One of the most powerful moments came at the end of the session, when founders were asked to vote for their favourite pitch — excluding their own.

What followed was thoughtful, generous recognition of each other’s work. Founders saw themselves reflected in ideas that weren’t theirs. They spotted potential collaborators. They named what resonated. This is peer support in its truest form — not competition, but collective lift.

It reinforced a core belief that while mentorship matters, peer learning often does the heaviest lifting.

Momentum is already building

This session was not about polished pitch decks or investor theatrics. It was about creating momentum early — giving founders a structured moment to test their voice, receive feedback, and decide whether they are willing to keep going.

Many will refine their ideas. Some will pivot. A few will discover entirely new directions. All of them have already taken a step most people never do: they started.

And that deserves celebration.

As we look ahead to the next stages of the accelerator and the live final in April, this evening stands as a reminder of why founder communities exist in the first place. To create space. To lower barriers. To say: you are allowed to try — and you don’t have to do it alone.

Well done to every founder who showed up tonight. This is how real journeys begin.