Aston Enterprise & Entrepreneurship

Want to stay updated on our entrepreneurial activities for this academic year? Follow our WhatsApp Channel: https://lnkd.in/e-2Jznzg Quick updates on events, deadlines to apply for start-up programmes & other opportunities! Enactus Aston / Aston Entrepreneurs' Club / Aston Women in Business Society / Aston Bright Futures Society / Aston University / Aston Business School / Aston University | Careers and Placements

Yesterday afternoon saw Apollo week one kick-off for the Autumn term at the Enterprise Hub, John Cadbury House. Our jam-packed four-week mini #accelerator, designed to help #entrepreneurial #students develop their #ideas into something more tangible, began with a fun 'draw your business idea' icebreaker. The session was facilitated by Omran Al-Habbal, Leading lines Group founder, focusing on identifying customer value through various tools and techniques. It was a great start to the programme, thanks to all our participants and to Omarn for making it such an engaging afternoon. Looking forward to seeing everyone next week! Carolyn Keenan | Kath Rice | Christine Foss | Aston University | Careers and Placements | Aston Bright Futures Society | Aston Students' Union | Aston Women in Business Society | Aston Computer Science Society

As part of our online 'Lunch and Learn' series with guest entrepreneurs, today we had a fantastic chat with Christina French, Founder of Essench Cosmetic Solutions . Perfect for our students/recent graduates who are aspiring beauty entrepreneurs, we covered topics like sustainability (the dangers of greenwashing), the importance of compliance, knowing your customer & how your story relates to them, and putting time aside to work on your own self-development. Thank you Christina!

💡 Are you an #ideas person, interested in #business but not sure how to move forwards? Apollo could be perfect for you. There's still time to apply to our Term One cohort, starting in November. ⏳ But applications close Thursday 31st October at midnight! Join this jam-packed 4 week mini #accelerator to receive: 💥 expert feedback and guidance about your idea. Maybe this will be the nudge you need to make it a reality now or after you degree! 💥 list on your Higher Education Achievement Record, and it’s an excellent way of demonstrating key skills to future employers. 💥 improve your presentation/pitching skills (an essential skill), and during the process you’ll be able to refine and improve on your idea. 💥 participate in an optional pitching competition with a £500 prize pot. Here's how to get involved: https://lnkd.in/eaZ7rimT Carolyn Keenan | Kath Rice | Christine Foss | Adam Lane | Inderpreet Kaur | Sandra Nair | Timothy Whitehead | Aimee Postle MEd MBA Chart.PR SFHEA | Claire Merriman

Great to have such an insightful food and drink panel join us for Startup Stories – thanks so much to Monique Farquharson (Raising SEIS/EIS), James Fedden and Anthony Reece-Thompson for your generosity 🤩

For the last few weeks, we (Aston University) have been participating in the very first Future Talent Pitch (part of Birmingham Tech Week / TechWM). Bringing together several universities across the region, teams of students presented their tech-powered ideas that fulfilled the brief of 'making tech succeed in the most human of places'. We are thrilled to share that one of our Aston University teams was awarded first place in the pitching competition today, winning £1000 (sponsored by Midlands Innovation) to progress their idea! 'Change for Change' supports refugees to overcome challenges such as food insecurity, language barriers and unemployment through an innovative AI-powered hub app. A huge thank you to the judges, mentors (especially the team's mentor John Cooke) & organisers. Special mention to our other team that made the final, Passway! Katharine Fuller / Joanna Birch / Yiannis Maos MBE / Aston Business School / Sonu Prem / Jyotsna Devi Dommaraju / Prahasree Deepak / Josh Le Sauvage / Jason Aitcheson / Saul Davis / Enactus Aston / Abdallah Hisham / Jim Shirley / Vernon Hogg / Pam Sheemar CCIB J.P / Clare Streets / Cliff Dennett / David Mellor / Craig McVoy / Zoe Radnor / Marian Garcia / Paula Whitehouse PFHEA / Aimee Postle MEd MBA Chart.PR SFHEA / Dr Elinor Vettraino / STEAMhouse #btw2024 #birminghamtechweek2024 #techwm

We’re looking forward to the launch of our #Startup Stories #event series, with the spotlight on the #food & #drink sector. Delighted to welcome a panel of #successful #entrepreneurs who'll be sharing their #inspiring stories and answering all your questions! 📆 When: Tuesday 29th October 17:30 – 19:30 📍 Where: Enterprise Hub, John Cadbury House Here’s the line-up: Monique Farquharson (Raising SEIS/EIS) – Aston #alumni and the founder behind award-winning #matcha drink brand Matcha Yaard, Monique brings a wealth of cross-industry experience, entrepreneurial drive, and a deep understanding of #cultural nuances. James Fedden – Flats Doughnuts is run by James and his family. James has been part of the #streetfood scene for over ten years starting off as the Cake Doctor in 2013 before launching, Flats Doughnuts in 2018. This year Flats won best #dessert at the British streetfood awards 2024 in London. Anthony Reece-Thompson - having a diverse portfolio of successful projects with The University of Warwick, Aston Villa FC, PVH Corp (Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and Adidas Group. He is an Author of two books, trustee for African Adventures and owner of a fried ice cream #dessert #business, Sizzling Scoop. Let us know you’re coming – we’d love to see you there: https://lnkd.in/dg39fci Carolyn Keenan | Kath Rice | Christine Foss | Aston Alumni Community | Aston University | Careers and Placements | Aston University | Aston Bright Futures Society | Aston Women in Business Society | Aston Students' Union | Aimee Postle MEd MBA Chart.PR SFHEA | Aston Centre for Growth

The deadline to apply for this exciting new programme is almost here! (20th October) Please do share so entrepreneurial female students Aston University can access the support 🙌 Aston Business School / Aston Women in Business Society / Aston Economics Society / Aston Bright Futures Society / Aston Marketing Society /Aston University | Careers and Placements

🎉 We’ve got some very exciting news to share! Four #Birmingham universities (Aston University, Birmingham City University, University of Birmingham and University College Birmingham) have teamed up to showcase and offer entrepreneurial female #students the #opportunity to participate in a brand-new #startup support programme and #pitching #competition. 🙌 Take the first steps towards making your ideas a reality. 💥 You’ll receive expert mentoring as well as join a supportive #community of Birmingham based female entrepreneurs. 🤩 Be in with a chance of winning a share of £5,000 prize fund. 📆 Programme dates: 31st October – 21st November 2024 📆 Pitching finale event: 4th December 📆 Application deadline: 20th October To find out more about eligibility and how to apply, please go to: https://lnkd.in/est24nNj Carolyn Keenan | Kath Rice | Christine Foss | Jessica McMullan | Jennine Jones | Megan Sheldon | Nicola Gittins | Katrina R. | Sharon Shakespeare CIM | Hannah Jordan | Boohema Boohene | Paula Whitehouse | Zoe Radnor | Aimee Postle MEd MBA Chart.PR SFHEA #femaleentrepreneur #femaleempowerment #femalefounder

We had a blast at the Aston Founder Keynote session with Stormworks Studios yesterday evening. They delivered an engaging and honest session to a packed room at the Enterprise Hub, John Cadbury House. It was super inspiring to hear all about how the business began, as Aston University #students (and good friends) back in 2018. A great deal of content was covered, from starting out with the smallest budget, overcoming tough times and difficult decisions, and the importance of pivoting, through to working with incredible clients today. Thanks so much to Joseph Housley and Connor Watt for their generosity and sharing their #entrepreneurial journey with us. Shout-out to our BSEEN #startup Omnisa Limited for their support. If anyone needs help with marketing or website development then speak to these guys! Look out for more #engaging activities from Aston Enterprise & Entrepreneurship: https://lnkd.in/dg39fci Carolyn Keenan | Kath Rice | Christine Foss | Aston Centre for Growth | Aimee Postle MEd MBA Chart.PR SFHEA | Péter Tasi | Jordan Shaw | Aston Alumni Community | Aston University | Careers and Placements