Peter wins £10k from ‘Dragons’

Queen’s Students’ Union recently held its QUB Dragons’ Den competition final in the historic Ormeau Baths, where three students bagged a share of the £20k prize pot.

Final year Mechanical Engineering student, Peter Gillan, from Ballymena, Co. Antrim, was crowned the Overall Winner and awarded £10,000 for his business, ‘Atlas Smart Tech’, which aims to transform the fitness industry with a smart adjustable dumbbell.

Peter said, “QUB Dragons’ Den has proven invaluable to our business … The funding and mentoring will allow us to commercialise the SmartBell. Thanks to it, we can stay on track with our plan to launch this summer.”

The annual competition, now in its seventh year, is one of the many initiatives run by the Queen’s Students’ Union’s Enterprise SU Team to: foster student entrepreneurship within Queen’s University Belfast; provide students with specialist training and mentorship; and help them to launch their own businesses.

The 2022 competition came to an electrifying close when 12 competitors braved the Den to pitch their business ideas to a panel of expert judges.

Lindsey McArthur from sponsor Santander said: “It was great to see such a diverse range of businesses!”

Read: Five things to do this weekend in County Antrim