A PROMOTION company from Worcestershire is joining with UK washable doormat and runner specialists The Turtle Mat Company to launch a competition for budding entrepreneurs and inventors which could see their product become a commercial reality. Brand Refinery of Leigh Sinton, near Worcester, is part of the team behind Project Hatchling, a competition run throughout April before ending in a Dragon’s Den style pitch day in June.

The event is part of Turtle Mat’s 20th anniversary celebrations and also involves D2M Innovation Ltd of Cheltenham, a specialist company with a passion for helping develop, prototype and protect new concepts, and Coller IP from Wallingford, Oxford, legal, commercial and technical experts in intellectual property management. The partnership will enable the successful inventor/entrepreneur to get all the support they need to develop, protect, market and sell their product. Turtle Mat will leverage its current retail network and direct online channels to launch the product to UK consumers.

Turtle Mats’ commercial director Susan Leaver said: “We only manufacturer our mats in the UK and are passionate about supporting British entrepreneurship. When the Turtle Mat was launched 20 years ago it was seen as an innovation of its day. We want to impart the retail knowledge we have gained over the years combined with the expertise of our project partners, to give the next big idea the platform to succeed. We aren’t necessarily looking for a complete concept and would welcome applicants to enter even if their idea was in the early stages of development. That is the benefit of having our project partners on hand, they will be able to support and help develop it into a highly successful consumer product.”

Full details on how to enter the ‘Project Hatchling’ competition are available now at www.projecthatchling.co.uk