Aston: Four Birmingham Universities collaborate to support student/graduate female founders.

Four Universities in Birmingham (Birmingham City University, Aston University, University of Birmingham, and University College Birmingham) have formed a partnership to support student/graduate female aspiring founders from across the city. The 4-week programme covered fundamental start-up topics, aiming to reduce barriers and grow an empowered community (10 students from each university participated). The vision was to connects the dots of the student entrepreneurship ecosystem, with support from Birmingham City Council (Growth Hub), HSBC and Bruntwood SciTech (sponsorship and mentoring).

The final celebration in December included five finalists pitching for a prize pot of £5,000. Congratulations to our winners WasteProjekt and Social Media Resilience.

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Suffolk: Enterprise Festive Fair

University of Suffolk Careers & Enterprise Team hosted its second annual Enterprise Festive Fair on 12th December bringing together staff, students, and the local community for a vibrant celebration of creativity, innovation, and festive cheer.

Featuring over 25 stalls showcasing handmade crafts, unique gifts, and treats, from eco-friendly products to bespoke artwork, there was a diverse range of offerings for the 200 attendees with the majority of stalls run by university students and partner institute Suffolk New College students. “The Enterprise Festive Fair went really well! I did much more than expected in revenue. A real pleasure” [Sam Hardcastle, Apprentice].

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Loughborough Enterprise Network (LEN) Launch their Annual Impact Report 23-24 

Last month LEN reported a 51% increase in student engagement across entrepreneurship activities, with 64% of females who applied for grant funding successfully being awarded, thanks to the support of the Women in Enterprise Network. Through engagement with Careers Network’s Talent Match internship schemes, 61 paid work opportunities in LEN supporting start-ups were provided to students. Loughborough’s Venture Mentoring Service matched 46 mentors to founders/businesses for support totalling 950+ hours given in 1:1s, events and funding activities! Resulting in 13% of students at Loughborough developing entrepreneurial skills across the network.

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KNEU Start-Up School Pitch Day
Start-Up School Pitch Day was organized by KNEU in November 2024.The first prize was awarded to the “FreedomWalk” project — an interactive map that helps people with limited mobility find barrier-free routes, and the city authorities identify problem areas. The “LIOIL” project, which focuses on iodine production from groundwater and the provision of pharmaceutical companies with higher-quality and cheaper local products, took second place. The third prize winner was the “Seed Inside” project aimed at producing ecological paper packages with embedded plant seeds. It will contribute to the popularization of eco-products and environmental protection.

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Imperial: Commonwealth Startup Fellowship

Imperial College launches the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship welcoming 40 startups from low to middle income countries across the commonwealth to join a 6 month accelerator programme delivered online and in person in Ghana and London. We are now seeking high potential startups incorporated in eligible countries to apply. Please share with your alumni and innovation communities overseas or get in touch with Sarah Ranchev-Hale to find out more s.ranchev-hale@imperial.ac.uk. Full details of the programme available here.

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Unleash Your Students’ Potential with Enactus Ignite!

Enactus Ignite is Enactus’s exciting new 6-week online programme. Launching in February, the programme is designed to equip students with the skills and guidance they need to turn ideas into impactful socially responsible enterprises.

• Benefits: Coaching, funding, real-world experience, pitching experience!
• Commitment: 1-2 hours weekly – flexible.
• Eligibility: All students in higher education across the UK & Ireland.
• No prior experience or idea necessary!

Learn more about how Enactus Ignite can benefit you and your students, and access useful resources at: https://enactusuki.org/ignite