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Boxby win prestigious runner up award |
A new and innovative company has just scooped the Runners Up prize in the prestigious Scottish Institute of Enterprise Business Plan Competition, winning a marvelous £9,000 prize of start up capital and professional services.
Sandra & Alistair Patterson’s business plan is for their new business, Boxby, which is a complete delivery solution website, organizing deliveries for everything from Parcels to Sofas, around the UK, and beyond.
“The idea for Boxby came out of an existing business we had, we were delivering antique furniture for customers, and one day we realized that there were hundreds of courier & delivery companies doing exactly the same thing, all trying to find customers across the whole country, and many driving around with half empty vans.” said Sandra Patterson
“Boxby is about helping those Couriers and Delivery companies to find the extra jobs to keep their vans full. They way this is done on our website means that the customer gets the best price possible, and also it gives them a choice about which courier or delivery company they use.”
The business plan competition lasted several months, and the final stage involved a business pitch “dragons den” style to a panel of judges. “This was the most nerve racking part of the competition,” said Alistair, “but we had to just bury our nerves and get on with it. It was a really challenging experience. “
The Judges panel thought that the talk was excellent and described a business with proven and growing potential. This team was the winner in the undergraduate stream and came second overall in a very tight competition
“The competition was a very good thing for us to do”, says Sandra, “as although Boxby is trading and growing fast, SIE provided advisors and feedback that we have found invaluable”.
SIE run the Business Plan competition annually, and previous winners of the competition include This is Red Button, who went on to win other international awards, as well as successfully securing funding from BBC Dragons Den.
Notes to Editors
• Boxby lets customers get delivery quotes from up to 700 courier companies via one online form.
• Boxby’s website can be viewed at www.boxby.co.uk
• For further information contact Sandra Patterson at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 01465 715444
• The Scottish Institute for Enterprise’s annual business plan competition is sponsored by Enterprise Rent a Car, who put up a prize fund of £50,000.
• The competition is open to all undergraduates, and post graduates of Scottish Universities, and involves a local competition at each of the universities, three entrants from each institution are then put forward to the national competition. |
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