Mach D Trading Wins the Entrepreneurial Futures Award

From Setbacks to Success

This year, we’re incredibly proud to share that Mach D Trading has won the Entrepreneurial Futures Award from the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). This recognition means so much to us—not just as an achievement, but as a reflection of the journey we’ve taken, the lessons we’ve learned, and the obstacles we’ve overcome along the way.

Last year, in 2023, we participated in the same competition but didn’t make it to the finals. It was a difficult moment to process, especially knowing how much effort we had poured into our vision. However, looking back, that setback was a turning point. It forced us to take a step back, assess where we fell short, and reimagine how we could move forward. We took a hard look at our business model and go-to-market strategy, identified the gaps, and began working on a stronger, more refined foundation.

How We Grew from Last Year to This Year

Over the past year, we’ve been on an incredible journey of growth. We joined accelerators like Launch Space, Future Finance, and the NatWest Accelerator, which gave us invaluable support in identifying weaknesses and refining our strategies. These programs taught us to dig deeper into customer insights, fine-tune our market positioning, and craft a more compelling story around our vision.

We also brought on incredible mentors who guided us through some of the most challenging aspects of our business. From business strategy to technology development and crypto regulations, their expertise helped us navigate complexities with confidence.

During this time, our product vision underwent several iterations. What began as a plug-and-play automated trading solution evolved into something much more impactful. Through legal research, customer conversations, and market feedback, we realised the pressing need for education and risk management in the crypto space. This insight led us to pivot toward becoming an educational platform focused on empowering users and making crypto trading safer. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one.

Preparing for the Award

This year, when it came time to re-enter the competition, we approached it differently. Gerald dedicated months to refining his pitch and presentation, working closely with advisors to improve every detail. One of the most valuable takeaways was the importance of personalisation—crafting a pitch that tells a story rather than just selling a product. We also focused on simplifying our slides to make them clear, concise, and visually engaging. The process itself was transformative, helping us communicate our vision with clarity and confidence.

Turning Lessons into Success

Armed with these hard-earned lessons, we approached this year’s Entrepreneurial Futures Award with a renewed sense of purpose. We presented a clearer vision for Mach D Trading—one that is rooted in addressing the needs of our users and filling gaps in the market. Winning this award isn’t just a milestone; it’s validation of how far we’ve come and where we’re heading.

The funding and recognition from this award will allow us to take the next big steps in our journey. It gives us the opportunity to develop our AI-driven trading solutions further, bringing us closer to our mission of making crypto trading smarter, safer, and more accessible for everyone.

Setbacks Turned into Lessons

Of course, this journey wasn’t without its challenges. Along the way, we faced setbacks—refining our product, addressing market gaps, and navigating complex regulations. But with every challenge came a lesson. Here’s what we’ve learned:

1. Be Obsessed with the Problem, Not the Solution

   Real progress happens when you focus on solving the right problem, not just building the perfect product. Understanding our customers’ needs has been at the heart of everything we do.

2. Get the Product to the Customer as Soon as Possible

   The sooner we let real users interact with our product, the sooner we could learn and improve. It’s not about perfection—it’s about usefulness.

3. Leverage Your Network—and Their Network

   When we didn’t have the answers ourselves, we leaned on others. And when our immediate network didn’t have the solution, their connections often did. Asking for help, no matter how small or big the problem, unlocked opportunities we never expected.

4. Better to Be Overprepared, than Underprepared

   Doing our homework—whether it was researching customers, competitors, or market opportunities—set us up to seize opportunities with confidence.

5. Work Smarter, Not Harder—and Be Unique

   To stand out, we had to focus on what made us different. Without that focus, we risked wasting time trying to blend in.

Gratitude and Looking Ahead

This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our mentors, advisors, and the UWE Bristol community. Their encouragement and belief in us made all the difference, and we are deeply grateful for their contributions to this journey.

As we look ahead, we know this is just the beginning. There will be new challenges to face, but with everything we’ve learned, we feel ready to tackle whatever comes next. With this award as a springboard, we’re more motivated than ever to bring our vision to life.

Want to experience Mach D Trading firsthand? Join the waitlist for our pilot testing and receive an Amazon voucher as a token of our appreciation: https://machdtrading.com/waitlist

Here’s to learning, growing, and building the future together. Stay tuned—there’s so much more to come!