Entrepreneurial spirit, Elevated

The student mindset is changing. Since the pandemic, the traditional way of working has evolved, which has in turn created space for entrepreneurs, and students are getting involved. Since 2019, there has been a 22% increase in University of Birmingham students stating they want to start a business or freelance, representing 9% of our student population.

More young graduates are opting for flexibility and entrepreneurship over the traditional career path, and as Times Higher Education points out, “it will be these young entrepreneurs who will address skills shortages, provide a pipeline for scale-up activity, create social ventures with purpose, and establish new businesses that generate jobs and wealth”.

Being the first civic university in the country to be granted the royal charter in 1900, The University of Birmingham has the entrepreneurial spirit of founding Chancellor Joseph Chamberlain running deep within its foundations so supporting our students’ interest in entrepreneurial spirit and growth mindset, irrespective of discipline or ultimate graduate destination, comes naturally.

B-Enterprising & Elevate

We recognise that entrepreneurship is now a career choice for graduates and encourage students to follow in Chamberlain’s pioneering footsteps in the pursuit of passions that will ultimately benefit the city of Birmingham and beyond. The University’s multifaceted approach created through the B-Enterprising team consists of collaboration with academics in order to embed innovation and entrepreneurship throughout university courses and societies. Alongside this, there is the need for effective business incubation, so Elevate at The Exchange has been integrated into the overall student journey, providing a vital pathway from campus activity to a comprehensive start-up programme.

From the germ of an idea through to its realisation and onwards growth, Elevate combines mentoring from highly successful UoB alumni and access to influential networks, with a collaborative approach to idea generation and problem solving, all brought together in a nurturing and creative environment. Since the incubator opened in September 2021, 93 new businesses have been launched from a diverse cross-section of applicants, which bucks the national trend in terms of female and ethnic minority founder intake. The programme’s ever-increasing list of alumni entrepreneurs and business leaders has now extended to over 30 people who have donated funds or given gifts of time, an instrumental part of any successful business start-up journey.

Entrepreneurial success stories from our UoB students

OBE Label: Saving the world one garment at a time

Final year history student Olivia Eaton has turned a small passion project into a sustainable clothing and accessories brand dedicated to ethical production and environmentally conscious materials. Each piece is handmade with care, designed to be both eco-friendly and stylish, and 10% of profits go to charity, supporting causes that align with the brand’s core values.

“I’ve received so much support from the University”, says Olivia. “To start with, I got a £500 start-up grant which was accessible and straightforward to apply for. In the second year, I switched modules to the professional skills module for entrepreneurs, so I met other business owners who helped us to develop our businesses, all whilst gaining credits for our degree.

“The most transformational support that I’ve had from the University so far is from being a part of the Elevate business incubator; it’s honestly amazing. We have physical office space, funding opportunities, and networking opportunities, and it has made me part of an amazing community, which includes consultants whom I can go to whenever I need advice. It’s truly incredible.”

StudyStash: Making learning as enjoyable as playing a game 

Jonathan Graham (CTO & Co-Founder) and Ben Ward (CEO & Co-Founder) are both final year Computer Science students who have used their study experiences to design StudyStash, an innovative AI-driven learning platform aimed at reducing exam stress, boosting confidence and improving academic performance.

Ben and Jon created StudyStash while revising for their second-year exams. Supported by UoB Elevate the pair have now moved the fledgling business to the next level, working with the University’s education experts to design and roll out a year-long, University-wide pilot of the platform involving over 5,000 students in taught modules across all five colleges.

Ben said: “We created the ultimate study revision tool for students at university. We’ve now made huge progress and taken an investment round. We’re scaling globally and we’re actually going to the University of Texas to put it in there and the University of Amsterdam which is just absolutely amazing. We’re also hiring a CMO and growing our team.”

Jon added: “Birmingham is a really great university with lots of opportunities to start your own business. We initially started StudyStash through the Elevate and computer programme and we’ve had a lot of support from UoB throughout launching and scaling the business. We’ve met one of our board members through UoB. He’s a Birmingham alumni who has joined our advisory board. Since then we’ve started a formal research pilot helping to change the way students learn and we’re really pleased with how that’s going.”

LyncFit: Connecting you to fitness & community

As a Biomedical Science student researching obesity, Emmanuel Dei found that while 63% of UK adults are active, 50% quit activities like running within six months due to lack of motivation. Facing the same issue at university and knowing exercise companions can boost consistency by 45%, he formed a team to create AI-powered fitness app LyncFit as a solution.

Emmanuel said: “When we initially had our idea we spoke to the team at B-Enterprising straight away and they really helped us to think it all through which was really beneficial. We then applied for the Ideas Fund £500 grant which gives students the opportunity to get some initial funding which came in very handy for the bare essentials like registering our business and helping us to kickstart our venture.

Co-founder Inheritance Odili added: “It’s truly amazing to be connected with a community of likeminded entrepreneurs who are also building up their businesses and growing together through UoB Elevate. I would advise anyone looking to start their own business here to really look into the talent network across the University of Birmingham. We have a range of interns in our business coming from the University and they are absolutely amazing so you’re bound to find people in your friendship groups and in your different networks who can help you build up what you’re looking to create.”