Bolton Trust and TU Dublin are delighted to invite entries for the 2025 Student Enterprise competition!  

With prizes of up to €2500, and a total prize fund of over €8000, the competition is a launchpad for budding entrepreneurs within TU Dublin.  This year students and teams can enter by submitting a video pitch outlining their business idea and proposal.  Further details and supporting material can be found below.   

How to Apply 

Students/teams are asked to submit a video under 3 minutes in length addressing the following key aspects of your proposal:  

1. BUSINESS IDEA  

• Articulates the business idea/proposition 
• Explains the problem it solves and how it works 
• Highlights how the idea is innovative 

2. BUSINESS PLAN 

• Identifies the target customer and explains why they would buy it 
• Shows how will you make money (snapshot of financial plan at year 5) 
• Shows how the business can scale (highlight the idea’s export potential) 

PLEASE APPLY USING THE COMPETITION APPLICATION FORM HERE

Guidelines on preparing your video may be found here BT SEC Video Guidelines 2025

Here are some useful examples of Video from previous competition applicants BT_TUD-SEC-VideoExamples

Semi-Finalist and Finalist guidelines on preparing competition documents can be found below:

• Slide deck for the Semi-Final can be found here SEC DeckNotes  
• Business Model Canvas can be found here BT SEC Business Model Canvas_wip

Please note that you enter the competition when your full application is submitted via the form above. Please make your video pitch available at a link online (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo or similar) 

IMPORTANT DATES: 

• Application Deadline: Tuesday 11th February 2025 
• Semi Finalists Shortlisted and Notified: Friday 14th February 2025 
• Semi Finals: Wednesday 5th March 2025 
• Grand Final: Wednesday 26th March 2024 

About the competition 

The Bolton Trust / TU Dublin Student Enterprise competition has run on an annual basis since 1993 and returns in 2025 once again.  The competition is sponsored and supported by the Bolton Trust and TU Dublin and gives all TU Dublin-registered undergraduate and postgraduate students the opportunity to win a range of cash prizes in the biggest University enterprise competition in the country.  

The main objective of the competition is to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship among TU Dublin students and to encourage and support a rigorous business planning approach to entrepreneurial activities.   

The competition is open to individuals or teams.  Students can come from any discipline, any college and multi-disciplinary cross-college teams are particularly welcome.