Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Richard Branson shows interest in whizzkid’s invention
A teenage whizzkid whose invention could make life easier for barbecue lovers has pitched the innovative device to Sir Richard Branson on a crossAtlantic flight.
George Edwards, 19, flew to Detroit with the billionaire airline owner after taking out a loan with Virgin’s start-up fund to develop his ambitious venture, Gas Sense.
The device is a magnetic sensor placed on gas canisters which can link to smart phones, accurately telling users how much gas they have left.
It has already attracted commercial interest and won George a place on the trip to the US alongside some of the UK’s most promising young entrepreneurs.
Speaking on his return from Detroit, George said: “It was an incredible experience.
“Virgin certainly knows how to organise a party, and this was a really interesting trip with a huge amount to it.
“It was really good to meet Sir Richard. There was a chance to speak to him on the plane over there, as well as chatting to him while we were in America.
“He was very positive about my product – he liked it as he could see the need for it. He had a few suggestions surrounding some of its features.
“He’s a guru on public relations, so he suggested how it could be marketed.”
George’s business started from humble origins as an A-level engineering project at the King’s School Canterbury, but is on the verge of attracting major industry interest.
The product has now been in development for a couple of years and helped George reach the final of Young Entrepreneur of Great Britain in 2013.
He says the exposure for his venture gave him the confidence and valuable feedback to continue exploring its further development.
Now building the company around a small sales team in London, he says the business will maintain UK manufacturing at a production facility in Nottingham once it gains a full commercial green light.
He adds there has been a promising response to his product from the camping and leisure market, with further potential for domestic use such as monitoring barbecue gas canister usage.
George, who is applying to study engineering at Harvard in the US, has yet to finalise allimportant product patents, but believes the initial commercial response is a sign he is onto a winner.
‘He was very positive about my product – he liked it as he could see the need for it. He had a few suggestions surrounding some of its features’
He added: “The Gas Sense sensors can be used in any industry, but the yachting industry uses a lot of gas canisters, as well as in the camping business.
“We have already had interest from US retailers who have asked to stock them.
“I am hugely excited about it and we have built up a lot of momentum. There is a huge pull from the market for this to be out there, so it’s nice to know that this is something that people genuinely do want.”