Samuel Aaron and Jamie Horsnell, two driven undergraduates from the University of Southampton, aren’t just ordinary students—they are visionaries reshaping the landscape of business procurement. As co-founders of Mytender, they have turned an academic spark into a real-world solution that’s transforming how companies approach tendering in construction, engineering, and facilities management.
The story began in a small dorm room filled with brainstorming whiteboards, half-empty coffee mugs, and relentless ambition. Both Samuel and Jamie were deeply aware of the pain points in the tendering process—how small and mid-sized businesses often lose out on projects simply because they lack the technical know-how or resources to craft winning bids. They believed that artificial intelligence could bridge this gap. Not in the far future, but now.
Mytender was born out of this belief.
They poured themselves into the project—juggling lectures, coursework, and startup dreams. They spoke to countless businesses, listened to stories of missed opportunities, and used those insights to build a product that could deliver not just documents, but results. Mytender’s core was clear: it would use intelligent algorithms to automate and enhance bid writing, increasing accuracy, persuasiveness, and success rates—at a fraction of the usual time and cost.
Their hustle didn’t go unnoticed. Before even graduating, Samuel and Jamie secured an impressive £250,000 in funding, a major validation of both their idea and their execution. Investors saw more than just a platform—they saw two founders with grit, clarity of purpose, and a scalable solution for a massive market need.
Within a few months, Mytender was not only live—it was thriving. Their platform quickly gained traction, particularly among construction firms that lacked in-house bid writing teams. Clients reported faster turnaround times, higher bid quality, and most importantly, increased win rates. Word spread, and soon they were generating over £10,000 in monthly recurring revenue—an achievement most startups only dream of in their early stage.
But revenue wasn’t the only benchmark of success. Samuel and Jamie were building something far deeper: trust in AI-powered collaboration. They didn’t want to replace human expertise—they wanted to amplify it. Mytender’s system allowed companies to focus on their craft while leaving the technical complexities of proposal writing to a smart, reliable assistant. For many users, it felt like having a top-tier bid consultant available 24/7.
Their journey also redefined what student entrepreneurs could achieve. They shattered the myth that you need to finish university before you build a serious company. Balancing classes with investor meetings, coding sprints, and client demos, they proved that passion and persistence don’t wait for graduation day. Instead, they let their results speak for themselves—with a growing client base, new partnerships, and a product roadmap that promises to expand across Europe.
Their mission goes beyond profit. Samuel and Jamie envision a world where no great business misses out on opportunity due to lack of polished paperwork or expensive consultants. Through Mytender, they are democratising success—making it possible for smaller businesses to compete and win.
Their story is a modern parable for anyone doubting their ability to create impact while still in school. It’s a testament to how clarity of vision, bold execution, and belief in technology can converge to build not just a startup—but a movement.
And this is just the beginning.
Samuel Aaron and Jamie Horsnell aren’t just co-founders—they’re trailblazers in a space many overlook. Their work with Mytender has sparked more than a business; it’s igniting conversations about how artificial intelligence can create real opportunity, especially for small businesses often left behind. Beyond the numbers and the funding, their story opens up a range of inspiring and thought-provoking topics:
1. Student-Led Innovation That Solves Real Problems
They’re proof that meaningful innovation doesn’t need to wait until after graduation. Their journey encourages other students to stop thinking small and start building. University isn’t just a place to learn—it’s a launchpad.
2. The Power of AI in Traditional Industries
They didn’t go for shiny tech trends. They chose construction, facilities management, and hard-hitting sectors that typically lag behind in innovation. That bold choice shows how transformative tech can be when applied where it’s needed most.
3. Building with Purpose, Not Just Profit
Mytender wasn’t about making money—it was about fixing a broken system. Their mission was to level the playing field for companies that couldn’t afford professional bid writers. The money followed because the mission was real.
4. From £0 to £10K Monthly Revenue: A Lesson in Momentum
What started as a side project snowballed into a real business. They didn’t wait for everything to be perfect—they launched, learned, and kept pushing. Their growth is a lesson in momentum: small wins compound.
5. Bootstrapping While Balancing Exams
While others were preparing for finals, they were pitching to investors and closing client deals. Their ability to juggle academics and entrepreneurship is a powerful message for any young person doubting whether they can do both.
6. Redefining What It Means to Be a Young Founder
They don’t wear suits. They don’t run meetings from skyscraper boardrooms. They’re rewriting the image of a tech founder: young, grounded, relatable, and deeply connected to the people they serve.
7. Creating Jobs, Not Just Software
With their growth came team expansion. Every line of code they wrote, every client they onboarded, added to an ecosystem that’s now creating employment. Two students with laptops are now helping build careers for others.
8. Empowering Underdogs to Win Big
Their AI doesn’t just generate text—it generates hope. For local businesses, underdogs, and newcomers in competitive industries, Mytender offers a chance to finally win contracts they were once shut out from.
9. Challenging the Funding Status Quo
They didn’t come from legacy networks. They weren’t serial entrepreneurs. But they still convinced investors to believe in their dream. Their journey challenges the idea that you need the ‘right connections’ to raise capital.
10. Turning Feedback Into Firepower
They welcomed criticism, listened to clients, and improved fast. Instead of taking feedback personally, they turned it into fuel—refining Mytender into something sharper, faster, and more user-friendly than before.
11. Building the Future of B2B Trust
With each successful bid generated through Mytender, trust grows—not just in the platform, but in the businesses that use it. Samuel and Jamie are quietly helping build credibility for companies that deserve to be seen.
12. Legacy in the Making
This isn’t just their first company—it’s their foundation. Whether Mytender evolves into something bigger or inspires a wave of similar tools, their fingerprints are already on the future of AI-powered business solutions.
