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just imagine if

In 2019, Paul Lindley OBE, a British entrepreneur and children's welfare campaigner, partnered with the ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø to launch a process to find the best sustainable business ideas, from anywhere in the world, and to support one idea with a special grant.

The grant, worth up to £100,000 of research support, is designed to bring together exceptional individuals with innovative ideas and provide them with the guidance, knowledge, and insight they need to turn their ideas into reality.

Finalists who make it to the judging phase of the process are partnered with expert counsellors to help shape their idea and hone their pitch. Our counsellors are purpose-driven leaders from academia, business, social enterprise, and entrepreneurship who are passionate about helping people develop their initial ideas into sustainable business opportunities.

2024: changing the way we learn

Felix Weaver and Ultra Rapid, his musical education tool for neurodivergent learners, won the third edition of just IMAGINE if... .

Felix said: "Traditional education methods may focus on listening, reading, and memorisation, but Ultra Rapid encodes information through sound, geometry, and emotion, which is more suitable for neurodivergent learners. By presenting information this way, Ultra Rapid helps learners remember complex concepts by pairing them with easy-to-remember melodies."

Read about Felix's winning idea
Felix Weaver, winner and Nigel Clarke, mentor of just IMAGINE if...
Felix is a wonderful entrepreneur with an innovative mind. He is very worthy winner of just IMAGINE if... . His idea will make a huge impact on a wide range of people all over the world for years to come.
Paul Lindley OBE
two people laying roofing on a house

2022: Ensuring those most at risk have better shelter

The second edition of just IMAGINE if... was hosted by Durham University in 2022, following an enforced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The winner was Nostos Homes, a non-profit business producing sustainable emergency shelters for people displaced by violence or natural disasters.

These innovative, modular, lightweight homes are designed to house people immediately after a disaster or conflict, restoring privacy, personal dignity and safety.

A truly visionary concept

just IMAGINE if ... finds business models to bring solutions to global challenges.

Meet the just IMAGINE if ... 2022 finalists.


I’m supporting just IMAGINE if… because social innovation will be driven by entrepreneurs and ordinary people with extraordinary ideas who take action to bring about change.

Piers Linney

Entrepreneur and former Dragon's Den investor

plant based milk packaging

2019: Shaping the future of food

The inaugural winner, Alexander Wankel, founded Muyu MilQ, a startup creating a sustainable dairy-free drink made with Peruvian quinoa and tarwi.

Muyu MilQ uses ancient seeds to design MilQ, a food of the future that supports healthy ecosystems and is ethically sourced directly from smallholder farmers in the Andes.

Make your idea a reality

just IMAGINE if ...one brilliant idea could change the world.

Watch the highlights of just IMAGINE if... 2019.

 2023 update: Muyu MilQ

Since receiving the just IMAGINE if... grant, Alexander Wankel has been preparing to launch Muyu MilQ.

Muyu's vision is to be a food of the future that embraces biodiversity and heals the earth by supporting farmers on the path to regenerative agriculture.

Despite numerous pauses and setbacks during the pandemic, Muyu has been dedicated to perfecting its products, meticulously fine-tuning the taste, texture, and manufacturing process, with plans to enter the American market in early 2024.


blue gloved hands putting slide under microscope

The £100k research grant

Learn more about just IMAGINE if ... and how your idea could receive research and business support worth up to £100,000 from the ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø and Henley Business School.

counsellors sat in group discussion

Our counsellors

Some of the UK’s leading business people and nationally known entrepreneurs are on hand to help you turn your life-changing idea into a reality.

seedling growing in soil

Our partners

The just IMAGINE if ...  research grant is made possible thanks to the generous support of our friends and sponsors.