A STUDENT business has secured backing from an internationally renowned entrepreneur and former television Dragon after a chance encounter at a North-East event.

Design Mob promotes young designers from the region online by creating a web-based “shop window” for their work. The venture works with up-and-coming young designers in areas including fashion, graphics and ceramics, giving business advice and support, and helping them reach commercial clients.

The business, run by two Teesside University design graduates, has secured support from Doug Richard, a US entrepreneur and formerly a member of the Dragons’ Den panel, who has pledged to help promote the venture and look for potential business partners.

Design Mob, run by Olivia Monaghan and Michael Crockett, both from Middlesbrough, was one of the finalists in the university business planning competition Blueprint, and met Mr Richard at the awards ceremony at the Gateshead Hilton last week.

Mr Richard said he was so impressed by the business, he wanted to offer them help.

“I was very impressed by Olivia and Mike. They are in a growing area, a sector I am very excited by, and there is an emerging opportunity for UK-based websites that I am looking forward to exploring with them,” he said.

Ms Monaghan is now more confident than ever about the success of Design Mob, which won £2,000 from the Teesside University heat of Blueprint.

“It’s really overwhelming to have even met someone like him, but to have him offering to help us personally is just amazing – it feels like we’ve won the lottery,” said Ms Monoghan. “We spent quite a bit of time chatting to him, and he said he thinks we have got a great idea, which he believes will be really successful.

“He’s going to set up meetings with us over the next couple of weeks, with contacts we could never have hoped to have met so quickly on our own. We are both just blown away.”