Member Article

Manchester’s Young Entrepreneurs Pitch For Support

Entrepreneurial students and graduates from The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University have pitched their business ideas to 160 of the City’s most influential investors and businesses at the UK’s first ‘University Demo Day’

The event, co-ordinated by Manchester Entrepreneurs and supported by venue sponsors, Hello Work, was held on Wednesday 18 March at Studio 6, part of the Old Granada Studios development in Spinningfields and saw eight of the universities’ most innovative startup businesses pitch for support.

Co-founder and Joint Chief Executive of Manchester-based online retailer, Boohoo.com, Mahmud Kamani, opened the Dragons’ Den style event, after which the start-ups took to the floor to showcase their creativity and enthusiasm for business success.

Guests included Richard Young, North of England Director at the British Venture Capital Association, Luke Georghiou, Director of Research and Innovation at The University of Manchester, and Justin Normand Entrepreneurship Manager at Mass Challenge UK.

Reuben Gunter and business partner, Raheel Khan, (both 23) from Manchester Metropolitan University, were pitching on the night hoping to attract both investment and expert advice from the floor.

Their social mobile first platform, Ventry, will launch in September enabling students to explore what events are happening around them, purchase entry to events directly from the app and receive real- time updates on what events are trending.

Reuben explains: “Through our social platform, students can connect with their friends, see what events they are attending and see what other students are doing in their proximity. It can be really lonely when you first arrive in a new city to study so this will help new students connect with others much more easily.

“The demo event was a really great opportunity,” he added. “Hello Work provided the perfect venue in Studio 6 and it was extremely well-organised. It was a little nerve-wracking, but to be able to stand up in front of such influential people and show them how much we believe in our business model was a fantastic opportunity. We had lots of interest after our pitch and we are now talking seriously to two investors so the future of Ventry is looking really bright.”

Hello Work is one of the UK’s first dedicated workplace platforms for start-ups, entrepreneurs and forward-thinking companies. In addition to The Old Granada Studios, Hello Work provides business and event space in locations including Manchester’s Spinningfields, Northern Quarter and Cotton Building as well as Leeds Dock and London.

Alex Hill, the company’s ‘Business Man’ said: “We were extremely pleased with the fantastic turnout for this first event. The students all delivered exceptional pitches and their enthusiasm really rubbed off on the audience. Manchester is home to so much entrepreneurial talent and it was great to be able provide a platform to help attract the support students need to give their businesses a real kick-start.”

The evening was the culmination of a four-month scheme, ‘Accelerate ME’ which was delivered by award-winning student society, Manchester Entrepreneurs. The scheme was launched to connect student startups with the resources, network and funds the society has to help them accelerate their businesses.

Tom McCann, Director at Manchester Entrepreneurs, said: “The feedback from guests has been terrific, with many of the investors, including Boohoo, making really positive noises about getting involved. This kind of event really highlights the exciting path Manchester is taking to become a ‘Top 5 European Startup Destination’ and helps to focus on the important role that the universities and academic community have to play in making it happen.”

The event was supported by the Business Growth Hub, Business Finance Solutions, Innospace, Natwest, Chancery Accounts, Co Angel Investment and UMIP (The University of Manchester Intellectual Property), part of UMI3 (The University of Manchester Innovation Group).

For more information on Hello Work visit http://hellowork.co.uk

For more information on Manchester Entrepreneurs visit http://www.manchesterentrepreneurs.org.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jayne Russell .