Tycoon is a free national competition that is open to all primaries, secondaries and FE colleges across the UK.

As part of our Encourage strand, Tycoon aims to encourage the nation’s budding entrepreneurs and help young people to develop core enterprise skills. Tycoon is a national enterprise competition for students aged 6 to 18 across key stages 1-5. Students across the UK are given the opportunity to work in teams to develop and run a business through the support of the Foundation.

Tycoon businesses have access to a good will loan of up to £3,000 per school or college and compete against each other, through a sophisticated Kickstarter style platform. The top student businesses in each key stage are invited to a prestigious awards ceremony hosted by Peter Jones CBE each year.

OUR IMPACT

The Foundation sees enterprise education as a cornerstone in ensuring that students leave school job-ready and, as such, Tycoon has had a tangible impact on the lives of young people. Since its launch in 2012, were are proud to have supported thousands of students to launch their businesses and gain invaluable life skills.

WATCH TYCOON IN ACTION

TYCOON AWARDS

Each year we host a vibrant awards ceremony where the winners and runners-up in each category are invited to a prestigious final, hosted by Peter Jones CBE. Special awards are also given, such as Business for Good and Innovative Business to recognise students who have exceled in different aspects of their businesses.

At this year’s Tycoon Awards and PJEA Graduation Ceremony, Anectote was crowned the 2023 Overall Winners of the Tycoon Enterprise Competition. The Tycoon team from Wycombe Abbey was awarded £1,000 investment by Peter Jones CBE at Hampton Court Palace. 

MEET OUR 2023 TYCOON WINNERS

  • Bathtub Bliss

    KS3 - 4 Finalist

    After extensive research, the team came up with the idea of making homemade bath bombs, with a combination of essential oils and fragrances to provide an aromatic experience. Putting their focus on selfcare and relaxation, they continuously developed new products to match the interests of their target market.

  • Candlistic

    Innovative Business Award

    Candlistic created candles and wax melts designed to look and smell just like food. Current products include handmade desserts and wax melts shaped like donuts, strawberries, waffles and more. The business is run inside college, via Facebook and Instagram and pop up markets such as the Sunderland Teenage Market.

  • Hot Spicy Flavour

    PJEA Finalist

    Hot Spicy Flavour is a tasty and affordable range of food as an alternative to the food provided by the college canteen. Customers included a broad range of people such as college staff, students, and people in the local area. To promote the business, new platforms were used such as using QR codes and free ticket selling websites.

  • Tiny Tycoons

    KS1 – 2 Finalist

    The team of 20 children made gift bags containing handmade stationary, decorations and garlands. They worked in collaboration with a local supplier who runs a boutique and agreed to stock their goods. The stationary giftbags allowed children to expand to a Christmas and Valentine’s Day product range.

  • Danger Zone

    1K KS5 Runner Up

    To raise awareness about endangered species, the team designed and produced an educative coloring book. In the future, they plan to expand and release other versions of the book, focusing on different regions or continents. Part of the profit went to three charities; Africat, World Wildlife Fund, and The Jane Goodall Institute.