York student Louise Flower

Louise Flower, a third-year student from the University of York, has secured a place in a global enterprise competition involving 8 entrepreneurs from around the UK. The Global Start Up Challenge is run in conjunction with Alibaba, the world’ts largest online meeting place for Entrepreneurs and SME’s, and the second largest IPO to Google.

Louise has been selected to represent Yorkshire in the challenge, and—with her initial £1000 investment—has set up her own trading business which sells creative, useful items to students and small businesses.

As the only student in the competition and also the youngest competitor, Louise has decided to focus on goods for the student market. She has sourced her products through Alibaba and feature an emergency charger (compatible with most portable electronics including phones, mp3 players and cameras) and a new and exciting product: the Mobile Note Taker.

Louise's primary product, the Mobile Note Taker

As her primary product, the Mobile Note Taker is an innovative and highly useful item aimed primarily at the student market. The judges were very impressed by this choice of product as it satisfies a clear gap in the market, but is not yet widely distributed in the UK.  It works just like an ordinary pen, but whilst making paper notes the pen also captures the page digitally. The student can record up to 100 pages of A4 notes or drawings, which can later be downloaded onto a laptop to be stored, edited and converted into standard text!

Louise also plans to sell this new product to retail outlets and small businesses. The pens will be on sale at the University of York for a promotional price until the end of January, and will be widely available online and at York Student Market.

Louise is a member of the York Entrepreneurs’ Society, as well as a student intern at York WRCETLE. You can track Louise’s progress online as she implements her business strategy and begins trading between October and the end of January 2010. The final winner of the competition will receive a £10, 000 business grant to invest in the start-up company at the end of the trading period. To track Louise’s progress online, and to vote for her business, visit www.globalstartupchallenge.com!

York graduate makes it easier to be green

Kenneth Cheung

York Biochemistry graduate Kenneth Cheung is receiving media coverage for his social enterprise, BEEcycle Ltd, and its range of products and services, which make it easier to recycle food waste.

Kenneth founded BEEcycle after graduating from the University of York, where he showed a keen interest in enterprise. The company produces a range of high-tech products to help people compost and recycle food waste, including the OvO—a self-watering plant pot which produces its own compost naturally! BEEcycle also engages businesses and the community through a recycling education programme.

With environmental issues more important than ever, BEEcycle is a promising and exciting new company—Kenneth has been interviewed on BBC Radio, and was a finalist in the Enterprising Young Brits competition—but what sets it apart is its combination of technical knowledge (after graduating from York, Kenneth went on to win a business competition held by Lancaster Environment Centre, where he founded the business with their support) with practical sense. With continued success Cheung has recently won the top prize in the Manchester heat for The  Pitch 2009, and will  compete for a business support package worth £50 000 in the final round in November. Many people are put off home recycling because they perceive it to be inconvenient and difficult—regardless of whether this is well-founded, it is clear that one way into the home recycling market is through accessibility. Composters which don’t smell or require sorting of waste, and self-watering plant pots may well attract custom from the 70% of households who do not currently recycle. Similarly, the lesson plans and interactive section on BEEcycle’s website make it easy for primary schools and parents to provide children with fun environmental education.

With fears over the fates of community recycling programs in the current economic climate, it is easy to be pessimistic about reducing waste—but as a social enterprise with commercial promise, the future is surely green for BEEcycle.

Sheffield Enterprise Zone launch 2008-09

Monday 6 October saw the Enterprise Zone hosting a launch of the Zone to new and existing students of the University of Sheffield.  We had exhibitions from student entrepreneurs, student societies and local businesses involved in enterprise and business start-ups.  In addition we advertised forthcoming events both new and continuing.  Interns and staff were available to answer questions.

The event was well attended and following the launch, the first of the Skill Build sessions for this academic year took place.  Interns introduced attendees to “What is Enterprise” by using the game Flux.

Leeds Launches SimVenture Competition

SimVenture, helping students to learn about enterprise. Image from www.simventure.co.uk

SimVenture is the award-winning business simulation game which allows the game player to gain valuable experience of the trials and tribulations of setting up and run a company. SimVenture offers a stimulating and risk free environment to learn about all aspects of running a business and being entrepreneurial.

The Leeds Enterprise Zone has set up a SimVenture suite, with this exciting new program running on five machines, open to all students.

As part of the new SimVenture suite, the Enterprise Zone are launching a SimVenture competition, where participants will run their company for six months and attempt to make the most profit. Every month at the Enterprise Exchange networking lunch, the student with the most profit will win £50!