Flare

Flare is a highly competitive annual competition that gives  the University of Hertfordshire student and alumni entrepreneurs the support and training they need to bring their business ideas to life, no matter how far along they are in development. Entrants can test their concepts in a safe and constructive environment, across several rounds, with the opportunity to take home individual prizes across two categories. This year, the final gave entrants the chance to connect with other business owners and enterprise advisers from the university and its partners, and to pitch to them and their peers.

FIRST PLACE: THINGS WEB

Project:

Food waste due to refrigeration failure is a major problem in the hospitality industry, leading to financial losses and increased carbon emissions. Many businesses still rely on manual temperature logging, which is time-consuming, prone to human error, and lacks real-time alerts.

Things Web offers an automated solution - smartRMS (Smart Refrigeration Monitoring System). It uses wireless temperature sensors to monitor cold storage units (fridges, freezers, and cold storage rooms) in real time. The data is integrated into a smartRMS dashboard, providing instant email and SMS alerts when temperatures deviate from safe ranges. This prevents spoilage, saves money, and ensures regulatory compliance with automated reports‚ eliminating the need for manual checks.

The team says its biggest USP is the combination of automation, compliance, and cost savings, making it a no-brainer investment for restaurants and food businesses. Unlike traditional data loggers, their solution stores data remotely in the cloud, providing instant access, real-time alerts, and automated compliance reports‚ eliminating manual checks and human error. It also features reliable connectivity and long battery life. Using LPWAN technology, its wireless sensors ensure strong connectivity even through thick walls and last 3-4+ years on a single battery, reducing maintenance and disruptions.

Students:

  • Gurmeet Gulati – Computer Science

Awarded: £1,000

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

"Thanks to the EIBF Prize Fund, we are able to incorporate a specific offer to engineering and science students as part of our annual entrepreneurial challenge, Flare. This encourages students from these innovation-rich areas to take their first steps as business founders in a supportive environment, supplemented with opportunities for mentoring and peer learning."

Kate Serby
Entrepreneurship Events & Services Coordinator
University of Hertfordshire