DTUK1210

Cardiff student wins Grand Ideas Award 7News & OpinionsMay 3-9, 2010United Kingdom Edition A young entrepreneur ba- sed in Cardiff has sco- oped a national award af- ter setting up his own company selling loupes to fellow dentistry students in an aim to improve their physical wellbeing. Around 70 per cent of dental students report chronic muscu- loskeletal pain by their third year of training, but are unable to buy magnification loupes - a magni- fication tool that helps dentists improve their posture and de- crease their operating time - due to their extortionate price tag. UKloupes was set up to counter- act this and enable students to buy high quality loupes at a frac- tion of their retail price. Dave Stone aged 27, im- pressed the panel of judges in the Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Awards with his business idea and has been awarded £1,000 to develop UKloupes. As a final year dental student, Dave was determined for loupes to be made available to all oral healthcare students. Concerned about the high prices of loupes on the market, he looked into selling the device directly to his peers and found by cutting out the middle man, he could sell them at a more affordable price. UKloupes was originally set up and run by students, for students but now also sells loupes to post- graduate trainees, SHOs and surgical practitioners. The Shell LiveWIRE Grand Idea Awards, launched in 2009 against the backdrop of the re- cession, are designed to give aspiring entrepreneurs a no- strings-attached financial boost of £1,000 to help them get their business ideas off the ground. The awards are held monthly and entrepreneurs from all over the UK can submit their entries through the LiveWIRE website. Dave Stone, founder of UK- loupes, comments: “In such a tough economic climate, it’s easy to be disheartened about setting up on your own, but for all the young entrepreneurs out there, I urge you to give it a go. Initiatives, like Shell LiveWIRE, are often key to turn- ing your business ideas into a re- ality. The financial boost of win- ning a Grand Ideas Award has been a huge help and will allow me to attend many important trade fairs, but in the long run, it’s the credibility of winning an award like this that really makes a difference.” Dave hopes to expand his business and help other dental students by training a repre- sentative at every dental school in the country to teach other students about the benefits of loupes and UKLoupes products. James Smith, Chairman of Shell UK, said: “There is a wealth of entrepreneurial tal- ent in the UK and I hope other young entrepreneurs will be in- spired by Dave to capitalise on their own ideas. We wish UK- loupes every success and hope the Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Award will help Dave to take the business all the way.” To find out more or en- ter the Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Aw-ards visit www.shell- livewire. DT Dental Webinars Be Wherever You Want Let the Seminar Come to You... To find out more go to www.dentalwebinars.co.uk or call 020 7400 8989 or email info@smile-on.com Brought to you by 3M ESPE & Smile-on, two forward thinking companies come together for a ground breaking, interactive learning experience. Engage with a leading expert, ask questions, get solutions. Relax in the comfort of your own home and keep up to date through interacting with the world's leading thinkers. 2 Hours Revolutionise your practice Take the stress out of impressioning