A TEENAGE entrepreneur with two business ventures under her belt has triumphed in a national competition.

Oxford High School sixth-former Joana Baptista won high praise from industry experts at Women of the Future, which named her 'young achiever of the year'.

The 16-year-old said she is 'ecstatic' about the accolade, having beaten competitors despite being the youngest in her category.

Islip resident Joana, who was nominated by the school in Summertown, said: "No matter how many times different people told me I'd never be able to achieve something, I was not good enough, or I was going to fail, it only drove me to work harder and prove them wrong.

"Winning this award was one of those moments to me, and I couldn't be prouder of myself for that.

"More than anything, I want to remind all of these wonderfully talented women and girls that they are incredible, and if they put their mind to it, they can do anything, no matter what anyone says."

Joana was responsible for setting up a business called Brush! selling a flexible toothbrush attachment which tells people how well they have cleaned their teeth.

The gadget allows parents to email gifts or praise for good brushing, incentivising younger children to brush thoroughly.

She also manages a business called Botelle, an app which allows a community of people to contribute to a shopping list and pay their share, for example housemates buying communal items.

Joana also set up a free coding club for seven to 17-year-olds, as part of an initiative involving Barclays Bank.

A statement issued by Women of the Future praised Joana for her 'passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and feminism'.

It added: "The judges commended Joana's strong sense of self and purpose.

"She has already achieved so much with her coding club, work with disadvantaged children, excellent academic record as well as founding two companies and taking them from concept to commercialisation."

The organisation aims to recognise achievements of pioneering women and inspire youngsters to engage in business.

Joana added: "The judging panel asked what it is that I wanted for my future, and what the award meant to me.

"The thing that resonated most after that talk was that the power was in our hands to mould our own success, not in the hands of others."

She was awarded a certificate at a ceremony in London last week.