A student entrepreneur based in Huddersfield has secured support from one of TV’s Dragons.

Adam Ali, 21, has been named National Entrepreneur of the Year after wowing judges – including Dragons’ Den’s Peter Jones - with his business idea.

Adam, a student on Kirklees College’s Level 3 Peter Jones Enterprise course, jointly won the title at the Entfest final in Buckinghamshire last week, alongside Dudley College student Santis Romanis.

Both students receive a £5,000 investment from the Peter Jones Foundation along with a full scholarship to the University of Buckingham.

Adam Ali, 21, of Huddersfield, who has been named National Entrepreneur of the Year

The judges were impressed by Adam’s company DigiSee, which provides bespoke digital signs to small and medium-sized retailers.

Both Adam and his partner Annalise Wilson are Peter Jones Enterprise graduates. They met on the course and now have a baby son, Deen.

Adam, who lives at Birkby, said: “The USP (unique selling proposition) for my business is me. It’s about building a one-to-one relationship with the customer, finding business solutions tailored to them and using technology to transform retailers.

“When I do business I feel alive, I get such a buzz out of it. I loved doing the course at Kirklees College - the environment is fresh and you feel professional.

“I was really excited to win – it didn’t register at first, but then I went on stage and I was shaking hands and I saw my partner in the audience nearly crying and it got to me.

“I wanted to do the course and build up the business for my family. I’ve had to put a lot of time into it and it has been a lot of hard work so nice to have been rewarded for my achievement.”

Adam is also taking part in a documentary about young entrepreneurs for a BBC iPlayer series. He was filmed at the final last week to record his success.

More information about business and enterprise courses at Kirklees College, is available when the college’s Huddersfield and Dewsbury centres stage an open day from 4pm to 6.30pm on Tuesday, July 3. The Engineering Centre at Turnbridge, Huddersfield will also be open.