Student and amateur boxer shows he is a business contender
A University of Chester student and amateur boxer has been recognised for his ‘knockout’ business idea which looks set to be a winner among his sporting field.
Basel Abboud has taken his idea for an app to help boxers find sparring partners from a lightbulb moment to a polished pitch thanks to support from his lecturers at the University’s Business School, along with the Venture Programme for entrepreneurs at Chester.
The 22-year-old international student is in the second year of his Business Management degree at Chester Business School and enjoys boxing in his spare time as an amateur boxer with a record of 26 wins and four losses.
Combining his passion for the sport and his business initiative, he developed the idea for the app, called Rumble Buddy, while studying the entrepreneurship module this year as part of his degree.
As Basel explained, sparring is a crucial part of training, but it is often overlooked and in smaller cities and places with limited gyms, it can be hard to find sparring partners with different fighting styles. Rumble Buddy is being developed to connect boxers with the right sparring partners based on style, experience, and more, so that they can train smarter and be fully prepared for competition.
He relished the chance to pitch his app to a large audience recently as a finalist for the University Entrepreneurs Grant at the Educate North Awards. Basel’s lecturers were incredibly proud to see him presenting his business as one of four finalists and representing the University of Chester.
He is also taking part in the Venture Programme at the University which offers a programme of workshops and support for entrepreneurs.
Lecturer Cheryl Sorensen said: “Basel is an extremely passionate and motivated student who is not afraid to push through challenges to focus on his dream...to become a real entrepreneur and make a difference in a community he is involved heavily within.
“Basel, along with many of our students on our second year entrepreneurship module, work on their business ideas at length, to ensure that they have sufficient access to the tools and knowledge they need to launch their businesses, if they so wish. It has been great having Basel in the group this year, and fellow lecturer Conor Dangerfield and I wish him all the best for his venture.”
Basel enjoyed the opportunity and now hopes to build on his success after making some “amazing connections”.
He praised the support he has received at Chester: “The University has honestly been incredible. Taking the entrepreneurial module in my second year was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t recommend it enough. I got to work on Rumble Buddy throughout the whole year, developing the idea, getting feedback, and actually beginning to build something real. Cheryl Sorensen, module leader, is the best teacher I’ve ever had and Conor helped a lot giving feedback and pushing the idea forward.”
Basel added that he looks forward to the future of his business now as he continues to develop, strengthen and go live with his app.
To find out more about the Business Management BA (Hons) degree and its entrepreneurial module please visit the University of Chester website at: https://www.chester.ac.uk/study/course-search/business-management-ba-hons/
Further information on start-up support for students and graduates from the University’s Careers and Employability team, including the Venture Programme, is also available at: https://www.chester.ac.uk/student-life/careers-and-employability/employability/