Innovation in motion

It began not with a business pitch, but with a promise. Navjot Sawhney, then a master’s student in Humanitarianism, Conflict and Development at Bath, had just returned from volunteering in South India. There, he met Divya, a woman whose daily life was dominated by the exhausting task of hand-washing clothes for her family. Moved by her story, Navjot pledged to design a washing machine that could work without electricity, use minimal water, and restore time and dignity to those living in displacement or poverty.

Back on campus, that promise evolved into The Washing Machine Project – a social enterprise that has now reached over 46,000 people across 15 countries. With support from Bath’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, including a £15,000 Alumni Innovation Award from His Excellency Khalil Foulathi and £2,000 from the Santander Entrepreneurship Fund, Navjot transformed his idea into a global movement. “The University not only gave me the contacts, connections and the support,” he says, “but the funding was so vital. It allowed me to do the work I needed to do.”

Ideas to impact

Navjot’s story is just one example of how Bath’s support for student entrepreneurs can ripple outward. The Alumni Innovation Award has helped launch a wave of ventures tackling real-world problems with bold ideas.

Dr Helen Liang, co-founder of LabCycle, saw an environmental crisis in the plastic waste generated by research labs. With Bath’s backing, she developed a circular solution: recycling up to 60% of lab plastics into new consumables. LabCycle’s impact was recently recognised in Parliament as part of Universities UK’s ‘Unis start up the UK’ campaign. “The University of Bath has been instrumental in my entrepreneurial journey,” Helen says. “Their belief in LabCycle’s vision has never wavered.”

James Courtney, founder of Lux Rewards, turned a student business plan into a loyalty scheme now serving over 105 million cardholders. After receiving an Alumni Innovation Award, he built his business at Bath’s award-winning SETsquared incubator and became a millionaire before 30. “This city is an incredible place to build a business,” James says. “We’ve proven that a startup from Bath can take on the world.”

A cycle of good

Navjot’s journey didn’t end with the Divya washing machine. He’s now expanding into off-grid refrigeration and lighting, aiming to become “the Dyson of the humanitarian world.” His short-term goal? To positively impact 100,000 people and save over a million litres of water.

Returning to Bath to deliver the keynote at the University’s 60th Engineering Design and Project Exhibition, Navjot shared his story with current students. “It’s quite emotional to come back to where this journey started,” he said. “Bath was crucial in helping me to develop The Washing Machine Project and work out how we could help alleviate the burden of hand-washing clothes that 60% of people around the world face – a burden that predominantly affects women and girls.”

Navjot continues to give back, mentoring students and serving on the Strategic Advisory Board of the Bath Institute for Sustainability and Climate Change, helping guide its mission to tackle global challenges through innovation and collaboration.

His message to students was to use their skills to solve real-world problems. “We hope our story inspires students and shows where your studies can take you,” he said. The success of Navjot and other Bath entrepreneurs shows that with the right support, ideas can go on to change lives around the world.