The Gala Evening Final for the 2008 HSBC Unipreneurs Award took place at London’s BAFTA theatre on the evening of 23rd April.  The five National Finalists for the 2008 HSBC Unipreneurs Award were quizzed on-stage before a live audience, who then voted for the candidate who impressed them most.  The competition encouraged over 400 applications from students and recent graduates to develop their ideas for starting their own business and the judges have reviewed a wide range of innovative solutions and services, from organic waste recycling to computer accessibility solutions.

Luke Jefferson and Luke Walsh were voted HSBC Unipreneurs 2008 and win the grand prize of a cheque for £20,000. Their company, Scratchface Ltd, has developed computer algorithms that help people with colour blindness use computers more effectively.  Both Luke Jefferson and Luke Walsh were 2007 NCGE-Kauffman Entrepreneurship Fellows. 

The five finalists were: