An Edinburgh Napier student aiming to spice up the Scottish street food scene has been named the inaugural winner of the university’s Appin Entrepreneurship Award.
Kael Begbie - better known as The Hoagie Man - scooped the top prize of £2,000 after coming out top in the competition held at Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle last month.
Set to graduate with a degree in business management this week, he pitched his way to success, pipping three other student finalists to the top prize with his plans to launch his new food business later this month at the Pitt Market in Leith.
Begbie’s food outlet specialises in wraps, with his signature dish - the hoagie - putting a Scottish spin on the classic burrito by substituting the regular chicken or beef with haggis.
Alongside the prize money, he will also now receive business advice and support from Bright Red Triangle, Edinburgh Napier's service to help people develop enterprise skills and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Begbie said: “I'm very proud to be the first winner of this competition and it's given me a fantastic opportunity to grow my business with a generous investment.
“I hope to return for future competitions and see a new wave of young entrepreneurs boldly exploring new ideas and developing their businesses.”
In its inaugural year, the Appin Entrepreneurship Award has been led by the university’s Bright Red Triangle, alongside support from its development and alumni relations team.
The prize money was made possible thanks to the support of two entrepreneurs, Damien O’Looney and Bing Li, who met while studying marketing and entrepreneurship at Edinburgh Napier.
They co-founded UK-China Trading, a product sourcing business in 2010, before branching out into an English school in China, a property letting agency, a holiday letting agency, a sportswear supplier - Appin Sports - and a business which responded to the pandemic to source and supply PPE to the NHS.
O’Looney said: “The Centre for Entrepreneurship was instrumental in bringing Bing and I together and gave us the knowledge and confidence we needed to try and run a business ourselves.
“It also gave us practical tools which are needed in every business, so we hope our Appin alumni award can help fledgling businesses with the cash they need to start their business.”
Pete McLean, business growth advisor at Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle, added: “We are grateful to Damien and Bing for their generous support – their contribution will allow us to help more budding entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into reality, and provides a brilliant platform for showcasing the student innovation and entrepreneurial spirit present at Edinburgh Napier.”
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