Aberpreneurs - Turning Business Ideas into Reality
12 November 2018 saw the launch of the InvEnterPrize competition by Aberpreneurs at Aberystwyth University. Future entrepreneurs gathered at the presentation held as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week which has been named ‘the world’s largest festival of entrepreneurship’. Over 164 countries take part hosting over 37,000 events. As well as connecting global ecosystems the themes for these years Global Entrepreneurship Week recognise women, youth and inclusion.
Photo courtesy of Aberystwyth University.
The article was written by Lorri Browning, Welsh Government.
Through its Youth Entrepreneurship Programme the Welsh Government grant funds all Colleges and Universities to provide activities to raise awareness of entrepreneurship and opportunities for students and graduates across the academic year to explore and develop their business ideas and skills. Through its Big Ideas Wales campaign and services institutions are supported to provide a focus for entrepreneurship by delivering an intensive week of engaging activities for Global Entrepreneurship Week, held every November. At Aberystwyth University its ‘AberPreneur’ network provides a packed week of workshops and inspirational presentations on subjects such as social enterprise, tax & bookkeeping, crowdfunding, intellectual property, and market research throughout Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Most exciting is the launch of the InvEnterPrize competition which is aimed to encourage entrepreneurship by stimulating new ideas for products and services. InvEnterPrize was first launched in September 2012 and is open to all Aberystwyth University students or those who graduated during the last year.
Competition entrants will have four months to apply with their innovative idea and business plan to include details such as potential markets, intellectual property rights, the timing of the business start-up, business growth potential and likely employment prospects. They would also include cash flow and details of how they would be spending their InvEnterPrize money. Ideas for both business and social enterprise are invited. The application for entering is a worthwhile exercise in itself forcing the entrepreneurs to scrutinize their ideas and business plans and see things from a different perspective, highlight their strengths and identify areas in need of attention.
Entrants can also apply to be considered for one year worth of office space at Aberystwyth Innovation & Enterprise Campus for any business in the biosciences, agricultural or life sciences sector and potential to complete the 12 week bio accelerate program, a business accelerator programme focused on the commercialisation of innovation in the bioscience and healthcare sectors across Mid and West Wales.
March 2019 will see the finalists gather to pitch their business idea in a dragons den of judges for the 10k prize which is funded by Aberystwyth alumni. Previous winners have benefited from the 10K prize and gone onto making successful ventures.
There is still time to apply to enter his competition.
For more details please click here