Start-up founder named regional finalist in national competition

Melissa Roberts, 20, of Huddersfield, launched kidcrowd, which aims to reduce gifting wastage and make the lives of parents with young children easier when it comes to buying birthday presents.

She will compete in The F Factor regional final, run by Founders of the Future, in Manchester on March 10.

The F Factor competition, founded by lastminute.com’s Brent Hoberman, gives young founders a chance to pitch their life-changing ideas to tech entrepreneurs. The competition received over 600 entries this year.

Ms Roberts said: “I am so excited to be given a chance to pitch kidcrowd in the regional finals of the F Factor. I’ve been working on the development of kidcrowd for around five months and we’re nearly ready to launch our MVP (minimum viable product), so this is perfect timing for the business.”

She added: “As a young person, the most important thing is knowing I’ve got a product that can make a huge difference to the amount of gift wastage we’re producing around the globe and by securing a place in the regional finals of the F Factor, I’m one step closer to building a more sustainable future for the next generation of young people”

Ms Roberts will give a three-minute pitch followed by three minutes of questions and answers, competing against three other young entrepreneurs.