Glitzbox crowned Winchester winner

A twenty-five-year-old entrepreneur has won the chance to pitch her business ideas to Richard Branson, and collected £5000 for her business.

Tamsin Gordon’s Glitzbox, the UK’s first jewellery rental subscription service, was crowned the Winchester winner of the Virgin Media Business Voom Pitch competition.

Speaking about the win, Tamsin said: “It’s been so hard being a solo-founder, making all the decisions and rarely having anyone else to run ideas by. So having a crowd of people and four experienced judges acknowledge the idea as a worthwhile winner was invaluable.”

Glitzbox impressed the judges with its clear business proposition and innovative offering, which is seeking to revolutionise the way people buy and discover jewellery.

Her service allows subscribers to borrow three pieces of jewellery every month and in turn, discover new designers.

At the end of the month, users can decide which pieces they want to buy and which they’d rather return.

Winchester mayor, David McLean, said: “It’s so inspiring to hear these young people talking about their new ventures with so much passion.

“The ambition that they have is so encouraging to see and demonstrates that Winchester and the rest of the UK is very much open for business.”

Winchester was chosen as the only city south of London for the Voom Tour, with sessions tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs in the city.