Offer students and new graduates the chance to make their business ideas a reality

From non-toxic glue to supporting mental health at work, start-up ideas at Birmingham could change lives, even the world. Your support could help bring them to life, through mentoring and Start-Up Scholarships.

The entrepreneurial spirit is strong at Birmingham. Students want to build their own futures, while delivering real impact for customers and communities, plus income and new jobs for our area.

They are putting all their passion, time and limited funds into their new business; they just need some support from alumni who have already lived the start-up experience, to help give them the confidence, know-how and capacity to make it all work.

In 2021, the University launched a state-of-the-art incubator, UoB Elevate, connecting passionate students/recent graduates with alumni expertise and support. 

You can help young people through the first year of developing their own business

A Start-Up Scholarship accelerates their ambition by providing funding for business development over 12 months and putting them in touch with expert alumni for invaluable advice. The goal is to enable initial traction for an idea or to grow an early-stage business by the end of the Scholarship. A donation of £15,000 could create one Start-Up Scholarship for a graduate (or graduate team) from the University of Birmingham to access the Elevate start-up incubator and business growth programme.

How could alumni involvement accelerate their ambition?

• Access to expertise: alumni mentors can provide expert guidance and industry insights
• Grow entrepreneurial capital: enhancement opportunities, conferences, workshops and networks
• Tackling real-life challenges in their area: projects in specific areas related to their expertise through alumni businesses and networks
• Immersive industry experiences: spending time in another start-up environment to expand their understanding of how start-ups operate 

Young entrepreneurs like Aakash Rai need your advice and support

'As a doctor, I was overwhelmed with the amount of clinical skills required. My start-up, Meditask, is designed to improve clinical skills and increase efficiency for clinicians and students.

'The Start-Up Scholarship means I will be able to build a mobile app, for hospitals and medical schools. But more importantly, it has given me the validation and motivation to make MediTask a success.'

Make a donation

You can help young people with high potential put their business ideas into action. Please email us if you would like to talk about supporting a Start-Up Scholarship.

Give time

Students and recent graduates need guidance from experts in their chosen sector. You can mentor a student, or offer an internship so students can see first-hand the excitement and challenges of entrepreneurship.