11/03/2014
UCL Advances
• Centre for entrepreneurship and business
interaction
Gurpreet Jagpal
Deputy Director, UCL Advances
• Founded in 2007
• Engages with students, staff, small businesses
and entrepreneurs
“UCL does more to help you learn about, start or grow
businesses than any other UK University”
WHAT IS IT?
Business? Commercial? Money? Entrepreneurs? Enterprise?
Entrepreneurship? Starting a business? Working in a start-up?
Consulting? Employability?
OK, BUT WHAT DOES THAT
MEAN?
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DO YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT BUSINESS?
HOW DO YOU DO IT?
DO YOU WANT TO START A BUSINESS?
DO YOU WANT TO GROW A BUSINESS?
It’s a journey…..
About 30 different
programmes/services
• Entrepreneurial eco-system with multiple points of
entry
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basic understanding of business
starting a businesses
working within a business
growing a business
Training
Networking
Placements
Office space
Business Advice
Competitions
Funding
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Summer Internship Programme
WHAT ARE THEY?
SOME EXAMPLES
• We pay for you to spend 8-weeks in a start-up or
SME in London (£250 per week)
• Gain valuable real-life workplace experience and
entrepreneurial skills
• Opportunities to work in Kenya also
Training
Student Consultancy Projects
• Enterprise Boot Camp
• UCL students partner with LBS students and are then
paired to an external business to deliver a consultancy
project.
• Typically teams of 4-6 students deliver a project within 812 week.
• Areas covered include:
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3 day Bootcamp open to all students and is particularly
useful to those that are shortly to join the potential
workforce and gain the skills that are needed to get a
job and succeed in a career long-term.
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Business plans
Environmental and green projects
Experimental designs
Marketing strategies
Quantitative and qualitative market research
Rapid prototyping
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Challenges and Competitions (1)
One-to-One Business Advice
• London E-Challenge
• Got a business idea?
• Been running a business for a while and want a fresh
perspective?
• Need a sounding board…or a (metaphorical) shoulder to
cry on?
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Established business plan competition offering
excellent training through a programme of workshops,
also bringing the opportunity to meet with students
from other London universities and there is a
substantial prize fund!
UCL Advances business advisors provide students and
recent alumni with business support to start, develop and
progress their businesses.
sba@ucl.ac.uk
Challenges (2)
OFFICE SPACE
• China UK Challenge
– For student-led business ideas, the China UK
Entrepreneurship Competition aims to encourage new
business ventures between China and the United
Kingdom
• CleanTech Challenge
– A global business plan competition for innovative clean
technology business ideas
• Student Business Hatchery
– Free office space
– Registered business address
– Access to advisors and training
• U-CREATE
– Bringing students from across London to work together
in teams to design and produce their own range of
projects
“Being able to use the UCL Hatchery has been a game-changer for my company.”
Raoul Tawadey, CEO, ReadWave
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FUNDING
• UCL Bright Ideas Awards
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Win a share of £100k
Paid to a limited company
Convertible loans, repayable after 3 years
Invested £500k, currently portfolio is worth > £12m
“There can't be any other university in the UK that is showing this level of
commitment to entrepreneurship or that much faith in its own students. They, and
their ideas, are remarkable. I am proud of all of them.”
Timothy Barnes, Director of UCL Advances.
Press coverage
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Want to find out about others courses, opportunities and activities we
offer?
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances
advances@ucl.ac.uk
QUESTIONS?
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