Member Article

York St John launches £30k graduate startup hub

York St John University has launched a new £30k training programme for graduate start-ups.

The 12-month X20 programme will give two groups of 20 young people the chance to experiment in a live enterprise lab.

They aim to kickstart and refine business concepts into viable new ventures or social enterprises, creating higher-level jobs in the region.

Participants aged between 19 and 30 are invited to take part and must be a current student or graduate of York St John University.

The groups will work with regional entrepreneurs and business experts to develop their ideas, receiving up to 20 hours of specialist training combined with one-to-one support.

Throughout the programme, which is being run by York St John’s business incubation and enterprise team at the Phoenix Centre, participants will have access to dedicated workspace, mentoring and ‘proof of concept’ investment.

X20 concludes with the chance to pitch for £1,000 to a panel of local investors.

The X20 programme is part-financed through £19k funding made available from Business Link York and North Yorkshire legacy funds, administered by Garbutt & Elliott, North Yorkshire County Council, City of York Council and York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

Fay Treloar, director of Employability, Enterprise and Business Engagement at the university, said: “York St John is thrilled to play this key role in growing York’s reputation as a start-up hub for young businesses.

“Through the X20 programme, we will help our global graduates to consider enterprise as a viable career option, inspiring them to reach their full potential.

“By honing their business ideas, they will also be developing a distinctive entrepreneurial edge, which is a particularly desirable attribute for many employers.”

For more information on the X20 programme, please contact businessenquiries@yorksj.ac.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .