The four students from Teesside Entrepreneurs Society won £1,000 and will now travel down to London next month where they will take part in the national final against university teams from across the country.
The Teesside team of Ryan Marshall, Jordan Atkinson, Anthony Waller and Phillip Golden, was pitted against the Universities of York and Sheffield for the regional finals of the National Student Apprentice competition which were held at York’s campus.
Each of the teams had to complete three tasks for which points were awarded in the competition organised by the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (Nacue).
York’s home advantage showed in the first task which involved selling as many disposable barbecues as possible and they narrowly beat Teesside University to first place.
However, Teesside University claimed the top spot in both the second and third tasks.
The second task was an oral presentation on different ways in which York’s Student Union could engage with and encourage entrepreneurship.
The Teesside team’s proposal included pop-up shops, one-off workshops and a series of special events.
The third event was a written presentation on how Gibson’s Rock Café in York could attract more students.
Teesside University impressed the judges with suggestions including free minibuses back to campus for groups which spent a certain amount of money and attracting different student societies with events such as open-mic poetry nights.
The national finals will take place at Kings College London between 15 and 20 June.
Jordan Atkinson, Vice-President of Teesside Entrepreneurs, said: 'It’s unbelievable to win through to the national finals.
'Everybody put a great deal of effort in and worked really hard on the day and we’re delighted that it’s paid off.'
Teesside Entrepreneurs Society aims to encourage student entrepreneurship and enterprise activities at Teesside University.
President Ryan Marshall added: 'Some people might not necessarily think of themselves as entrepreneurs and we want to help provide them with the inspiration to show them that they can be.
'We want to show people that it’s not always just about business and can be a lot of fun as well.'
Andy Price, Head of Enterprise Development and Education at Teesside University, said: 'We are delighted with the success of the team from Teesside Entrepreneurs in this competition, but frankly we are not surprised.
'They are a really well motivated, well organised group who have gone from success to success this year and they are a great example of the talent to be found in Teesside University students.'