Student Enterprise

Enterprise isn’t just about starting a business. It's about developing transferable skills that are valuable to any career, and seizing opportunities to gain experience outside of your degree. The Student Enterprise team gives students and graduates the support to develop practical skills and turn their ideas into a business or career.

Whether they want to become entrepreneurs, freelancers or work for a company, students and graduates benefit from a range of support services.

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Inspiring talks and workshops

Successful entrepreneurs from across the UK share their experiences and top tips at our Start & Evolve talks. Students and graduates get the chance to find out what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, develop employability skills, network and enhance their CVs.

We also offer a variety of Develop & Grow workshops to help build skills that are vital to any graduate’s career or setting up a business.

Get more information on our talks and workshops at the Student Enterprise events page.

Start-up and accelerator programmes

We run a range of start-up and business accelerator programmes for students and graduates who want to try out a business idea or develop an existing business. The schemes provide access to talks, workshops, networks of entrepreneurs and mentors, office space, and specialist legal and intellectual property advice.

Spark

Spark is a 6 month programme exclusively for current students at LSBU who want to turn their ideas into a business while they study. Students get to test out their ideas and create a viable product or service.

The programme includes up to £500 funding, mentoring, office space (hot desking), legal support and access to networks.

Graduate Entrepreneur Scheme (GES)

If you're thinking of developing a business idea after you’ve graduated, our Graduate Entrepreneurship Scheme (GES) could be just the programme to support you. It is open to LSBU graduates (graduated in the last 5 years) who have a business idea they’ve validated and/or are at the early stages of running their business or social enterprise. Over the last 4 years we have supported 27 businesses on this programme to really grow their ideas.

Find out more about the Graduate Entrepreneur Scheme.

Competitions

Make It Happen

Make It Happen is a competition for LSBU students and recent alumni who have the ambition, creativity and drive to succeed as entrepreneurs or freelancers. One winner will be selected from each of the following three categories:

Freelance: This category is for anyone who works for themselves by using their skills and talents to provide a service to different clients.

Prize: £1,000 to boost your freelancing career, Institute of Directors (IoD) membership and 6 months' free office space.

Idea: If you have an idea for a business or social enterprise that you want to try out, this category is for you!

Prize: £1,000 investment to develop your idea, IoD membership and 6 months' free office space.

Start-up: This category is for anyone who has started a business or social enterprise over the last three years and would like to take their idea to the next level.

Prize: £2,000 investment to develop your business, IoD membership and 6 months' free office space.

Applications for 2017 are now closed and will reopen in 2018.

Email the Student Enterprise team for more information: studententerprise@lsbu.ac.uk

Support for finding funding

We are eager to help students and recent alumni with finding financial help for their businesses and entrepreneurial ideas. Our offers include access to funding with our start-up schemes, and help with using crowdfunding.

Internships and consultancy

We also offer students and graduates opportunities to intern or work on consulting projects with local SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and start-ups. Internships with small companies allow graduates to see what it really takes to run a business and make an impact in a small team. Consultancy projects apply students’ academic knowledge in real-world scenarios and help solve real issues facing businesses.

Intellectual property support and workshops

Whether it’s an idea, a design or a product, Intellectual Property (IP) is a valuable asset that can be licensed or sold to generate income. We offer 1-2-1 guidance, support and a series of workshops to help students get to grips with what IP is and how it can work for them.

For more information on any of our services, please contact:
Student Enterprise Team
Tel: 020 7815 6912
Email: studententerprise@lsbu.ac.uk