National Engineering Day 2024, held annually by the Royal Academy of Engineering, aims to increase the visibility of engineers in the UK, celebrating their contribution to improving our everyday lives and shaping the world around us.
To celebrate the day, we asked the startup founders within our portfolio, who are their engineering role models – those individuals who inspired or nurtured their love with engineering. Here’s what some of them had to say….
Samudra Oceans’ innovative AI-powered static monitoring robots use powerful sensors and cameras that enable farmers to actively monitor and predict their seaweed yield. They are designed to support the growth of sustainable seaweed farming by reducing unnecessary and costly boat trips and labour – something which can often far outweigh sale prices.
When did your love for engineering/product design first begin?
My love for engineering product design started at a very young age, long before I began my engineering degree. It actually began when I was probably six or eight years old. I always wanted to design things at home. I loved Lego, clay modelling, and building. I would tinker with various kits, and my mom would have to bring them for me. So, from a very young age, I was always someone who enjoyed building physical engineering stuff. It was a bit unusual, as people expected girls my age to play with dolls, but I didn’t like them at all. I wanted cars, building kits, and Lego.
What or who inspired you to go down an engineering route?
The person who inspired me the most to pursue engineering was my mom. She’s a scientist, very observant of children’s behaviour, and also a professor and teacher. She encouraged me to go after what she thought I loved to do. She gave me the option to explore many things, but engineering was the one that resonated with me the most. So, she’s my biggest inspiration on a personal level. On a professional level, I’ve always been fascinated by robotics at NASA. They’re doing some incredible work. Growing up, I was inspired by things like the Mars Rover and other space missions. The space sector definitely played a big role in inspiring me as well.
What do you think is the best thing about engineering a new product?
For me, the best thing about engineering a new product is the ability to create—bringing something to life that didn’t exist before. It’s the ability to introduce a new functionality into the world. I love that. And the second best part is seeing the impact the product has on people’s lives. Once you see what it can achieve and how it affects the world, there’s no going back.
What do you most enjoy about the process?
I enjoy seeing how different components come together to form something far greater than the sum of its parts. It’s like creating a system that’s vastly different from the individual pieces that make it up. If you look at a lever, a complex pulley, or the machine it’s part of, the individual components—like a nut, bolt, joint, or piece of acrylic—don’t possess the qualities of the final product. Yet, when combined, these components create something much bigger and more useful. I love witnessing that system-level integration and seeing how each part contributes to the final product, which is greater than all its individual pieces.
The patented Hidealoo frame is designed to support homeowners and developers to maximise the use of the space they have available. It can be used with any standard UK wall hung toilet and allows it to be moved through 90 degrees, meaning it can be hidden inside a cabinet, cupboard, or wall space when not in use.
As well as creating more flexible floor space, the frame provides an opportunity for additional toilets to be installed where adding a new bathroom may not otherwise be possible. For example, by allowing a toilet to be fitted within a utility room cupboard, or in a cabinet underneath loft eaves.
When did your love for engineering/product design first begin?
As a child of about six I apparently found a cunning way to stop my brother escaping from his cot with judicious use of a suitcase under the sliding side, which astonished my mother at the time. A year or so later I made a picture frame from scrap wood for my brothers first painting.
What or who inspired you to go down an engineering route?
I have an innate practical understanding of both art and engineering, and I’ve combined both all my life to make beautiful devices ‘do things’ – growing up next to a farm gave me lots of exposure to amazing machines that moved.
What do you think is the best thing about engineering a new product?
A new product is by definition often a leap forward in innovation. Using engineering to help find a beautiful new solution via some lateral thinking to then change the way people can make better use of their lives is a very exciting process.
What do you most enjoy about the process?
The challenge of thinking outside the box and discovering game changing answers (sometimes in dreams or more usually continued workshop testing) provides an adrenaline rush of belief like no other.
Holdson specialises in the manufacture of high-performance electrochemical polishing machines, which can remove imperfections and contaminants from metal surfaces, resulting in a smoother, more uniform finish for metal components. The company’s ‘Electroform’ technology can be used to polish 3D-printed metal components with unparalleled precision, providing an efficient solution for the medical, aerospace, energy, and automotive industries.
When did your love for engineering/product design first begin?
Engineering was in the blood. My grandparents and father all worked for De Havilland (then Hawker Sidley, subsequently British Aerospace) and I have always been surrounded by engineering examples, electronics in particular and I was taking TVs apart to repair in my early teens.
My maternal grandfather was a French polisher and he taught me all about craft – furniture in particular – and design for a product.
What or who inspired you to go down an engineering route?
In terms of my engineering involvement, my dad employed a service engineer and I always thought he lived a glamorous life, going round the UK and world repairing complex machinery that were used to make aero engine parts, or medical devices etc. So from being about 12 that was what I wanted to do.
And I did it for around 20 years.
But real inspiration and love for the topic came from watching things like Fred Dibnah’s engineering shows and learning about the time when the UK was the powerhouse of the world. Understanding the impact that Brunel had on transport and linking people together is still completely amazing.
What do you think is the best thing about engineering a new product?
When it comes to engineering a new product, I get a big kick out of imagining how it will be kept in use for a long period of time. Engineering longevity from a product and process is a must because you don’t know where it will end up. I was on honeymoon in Sri Lanka and the local people were enthusiastically telling me that their railways were still in service from when the British engineers completed the infrastructure over 150 years ago. That is amazing.
What do you most enjoy about the process?
I still enjoy the debate that goes along with designing any new product. And discussing the merits of different engineering disciplines. Collaboration is a tool that is so central to engineering, you cant succeed without it.
Peequal is the UK’s first female urinal and aims to make long queues for the ladies a thing of the past.The flatpack portable urinals are made of recycled sea plastics, six times faster to use and produce 98% less carbon than traditional portable toilets.
When did your love for engineering/product design first begin?
Both of us founders have always been interested in making things from a young age, whether that was an art installation, go-karts, garden sheds, chicken coops etc. being creative and working with tangible products was something we both always gravitated towards throughout our lives. This curiosity about creating practical solutions eventually evolved into a passion for designing a product that could genuinely benefit women, ultimately guiding us down the engineering route.
What or who inspired you to go down an engineering route?
Both of us studied Innovation alongside other degrees (Amber, Anthropology and Hazel, Physics). The innovation course encouraged hands on learning which led us to test hardware product ideas from the off. Seeing a product impact a user instantly was exciting and when we tested Peequal prototypes it felt like it could actually turn into something that would be adopted and bring a lot of value to users.
What do you think is the best thing about engineering a new product?
The most rewarding part is witnessing the tangible impact Peequal has on users. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone interact with something we’ve created and knowing that it has made their experience better—especially when it addresses an unmet need and makes a meaningful difference.
What do you most enjoy about the process?
The part we enjoy most is the entire journey of iteration—from concept to prototype to the final product. We love the problem-solving aspect, the collaboration, and the creativity that comes with refining each detail until it’s just right. It’s about learning, improving, and knowing that every step we take is getting us closer to a solution that’s impactful and user-focused.
When did your love for engineering/product design first begin?
I’ve always enjoyed it, but it was during university when we had the chance to design and manufacture our own projects that I truly started to love it. That’s when I realised the potential of these skills—giving me the ability to create!
What or who inspired you to go down an engineering route?
It’s really the joy of creating something from scratch that led me down the engineering path. The process of bringing new ideas to life is what keeps me excited about it.
What do you think is the best thing about engineering a new product?
The thrill of creating something completely new and different from everything else out there. Especially when it solves a new problem or tackles an old issue in a unique way—that’s incredibly satisfying.
What do you most enjoy about the process?
The early stages of engineering and design are the most exciting for me because it’s a time of endless possibilities. Anything can be done; we just have to figure out the best solution for the specific problem at hand.
About British Design Fund
British Design Fund is a leading early-stage British manufacturing investor. The Fund works with ambitious product start-up enterprises who are ready to scale-up and build thriving stand-out businesses. Alongside capital investment, BDF provides expert mentoring to support such companies to accelerate their growth plans.
Information for investors and further details about the Fund is available by visiting https://www.britishdesignfund.co.uk/invest/.
