TEAMS of young people got down to business in the next stage of a Daily Echo-backed competition for promising entrepreneurs.

The Shore Ideas contest has already seen young people battling through a Lions’ Den competition to win the chance to work with business mentors.

The shortlisted teams will receive up to £1,000 to get their projects off the ground, with proceeds going to good causes.

At the first of eight mentoring sessions, the teams were congratulated on getting through the Lions’ Den stage and introduced to their advisers.

They had a chance to go through their business ideas with their mentors and also to learn the importance of networking.

Shore Ideas development manager Dan Lodge said: “All the mentors are working together as a team to ensure every group has access to the entire network of resources at our disposal.”

He said the expertise of the scheme’s 11 “lions” was a “massive resource” for the teams.

“The teams seemed to enjoy themselves and go away feeling positive about their projects and the steps to take,” said Dan.

“I was impressed by their enthusiasm and their positive attitude.”

The teams are: High Life Events (from Moyles Court School, in aid of Help for Heroes), Try Something New (Winton School, for the Steve Bernard Foundation), Shore Thing (Bournemouth and Poole College, for BCHA), Ratus Prior (Bournemouth School, for Cancer Research), Noodle Shack (Bournemouth School, for YMCA), Team Dragon (Bournemouth School and Bournemouth School for Girls, for Down’s Syndrome Association), CENT (Bishop of Winchester Academy, for the Diabetes Association), Easter Bunnies (Bishop of Winchester, for James Burns House), Yes Chef (Bishop of Winchester, for Cancer Research), Themis (Brockenhurst College, for She’s The First) and Bournemouth Collegiate School CU (for Pramacare). After eight weeks of mentoring as they run their new enterprises, the teams will be invited to a celebration event in May.

Shore Ideas is supported by the Bournemouth 2026 partnership, Bournemouth Borough Council and Bournemouth YMCA.

It was launched last year and the closing date for submissions was in November.

The teams’ first goal is to return the seed funding in full.

All further profits will be split 50-50 between their selected good cause and a sustainability pot for future competitions.