Member Article

Student business accelerator weekend proves a hit at Northumbria

Enterprising students have been honing their entrepreneurial skills during an intensive and hands-on weekend of learning at Northumbria University, Newcastle.

A cohort of 40 came armed with business ideas, laptops and plenty of coffee for the EVOLV Weekend.

The high-energy event was hosted by Newcastle Business School and managed through start-up accelerator specialist Searchcamp. As the first programme of its type at the University, it has been hailed a huge success.

The EVOLV Weekend ran from March 21 to March 23 and was about action learning, progress, victory and defeat, and growing a network of like-minded entrepreneurs with meaningful new people.

Over the course of the weekend, delegates predominantly from Northumbria University formed teams competing with each other to develop an idea, no matter how early-stage. They were guided through the principles of Lean Start-up methodologies and processes, particularly on identifying the customer, and their problem or need.

The winning team, called Giftbro, moved from an idea around 3D printing through to the early stages of customer validation of a gifting service. With support from EVOLV coaches, the four-strong team worked together effectively applying design skills and using Lean Start-up thinking in their approach.

The University will now be working closely with the Giftbro team to support them and their business idea going forward.

Those with the strongest business proposition will also be invited to join Searchcamp’s 12-week immersive accelerator programme and follow-up incubator for early stage internet start-ups and tech entrepreneurs.

Dr. Jane Turner, Associate Dean for Business and Engagement at Newcastle Business School, said: “Staging the EVOLV Weekend and collaborating with Searchcamp reflects our strong focus on employability, entrepreneurship and enterprise and the determination to give our students the best possible start to their careers.

“The expertise and support for aspiring start-up enterprises complements our academic offerings, such as the new Entrepreneurial Business Management programme where students run their own businesses.

“This was an exhausting but highly insightful and fun weekend, with some incredibly creative ideas which I’m sure will yield great future success stories.”

Northumbria has recently been named the UK’s fourth best university for establishing start-up businesses in a review by Government adviser Sir Andrew Witty. There are currently 114 recent Northumbria graduate start-up companies in the region employing 776 people and with an estimated turnover of £54m.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Northumbria University .