Third year students are likely all too familiar with the incessant buzz talk around graduate schemes, summer internships and post-grad life in general. All of this chatter makes graduation feel a bit like free falling off a cliff. What we forget is that there are plenty of alternative routes into employment, and one of those is entrepreneurship.
The University of Exeter offers a variety of Entrepreneurial opportunities, including the extra-curricular Student Startups programmes, based in The Deck at the Innovation Centre. Here, students of any course can find support to develop new ventures and even secure funding. Emily Davies, Head of Student Entrepreneurship, is passionate about increasing student awareness of entrepreneurial opportunities. Whether you want to launch a new app, start a social enterprise, develop an innovative new product or creative project, the Student Startups team are here to support your entrepreneurial ambitions.
How did you develop The Deck?
“The Deck is based at the Innovation Centre on the Streatham Campus and is the ‘home’ of Student Startups. In 2018 we secured philanthropic funding from Santander Universities UK, as they were investing money in student entrepreneurship programmes on campus. After securing £75k of funding, we undertook a collaborative design process – engaging with students, members of the wider business community, and staff to design and shape the space. All of the furniture is designed to be movable and flexible, so it can facilitate workshops, hackathons, talks and there is space for student entrepreneurs to co-work or organise their own events.”
Do you think students make the most of entrepreneurial opportunities at Exeter?
“Visibility of the provision is greater now, and there are a lot more opportunities to engage with entrepreneurship and innovation – through curricular modules, extra-curricular programmes and there are also some really active societies on-campus as well as what we do at Student Startups. Engagement is generally good, but I always worry that there are students that don’t know just how much support is available. We are always trying to think of new ways to reach students and let them know about the available opportunities. Even if they don’t have an idea just yet, we would like for people to know where to find us when inspiration strikes!”
What are the benefits of entrepreneurial education? Why is it so important?
“Entrepreneurial education and experiences teach you a lot about being able to look at things in a creative way and to be self-reflective and resilient when encountering challenges or even failure. It provides the experience of pitching your ideas to groups of strangers and opportunities to learn how to both give and receive constructive feedback. We give people aspace in which to try out starting up a venture, in an environment that is really supportive, with people who really want to give advice and mentoring, or even put money behind it. Even if you don’t pursue your business, so many of those skills will be important for graduate employment. And hopefully it’s fun too!
Students have different motivations for being on the programme. There are some students who would want to try and freelance or start a small business to help support themselves through university. Then, there’s other students who are wanting to create post-graduate careers with their businesses. And, of course, some students just think it will be fun to experiment with ideas and learn something new. Everyone is welcome.”
What advice would you give to a student who is considering giving up on their business idea because it seems too daunting?
“It is a totally understandable to fell daunted by the idea of trying to start-up something new, and a lot of people feel that way. A lot of people have ideas but struggle to know what the first step should be; or think of all the things that could go wrong and talk themselves out of it. But, there’s nothing to lose while you’re a student – it is the best time to try and start something. All the team are approachable to talk through ideas with, and it is a very supportive and encouraging environment. Being in a room with people who all have similar reservations and fears, as well as excitement and ambition is also helpful. Even the people who present with a lot of confidence still have their worries and encounter challenges. Once you’ve graduated and progress with your career, it can feel harder and harder to stop and start something else, even if you have ideas. So having a go while you’re a student is a great time to start.
A lot of entrepreneurial business partnerships are formed at university, as they are hubs for educated, driven and ambitious people. Their businesses often boost the economy; do you think the UK government is doing enough to support young businesses?
I think there’s definitely an ambition to and there’s a recognition in the UK that there’s probably a lot more untapped potential. And you’re right that there is so much potential within universities – from student startups to academic spin-outs.
One of the challenges in the Southwest, and certainly in Exeter, is encouraging and enabling students to stick around after they graduate, as there’s still a draw to flock to London and other big cities. They’re bigger, and they offer investment opportunities and culture. It’s a very different environment to Exeter. What I’m excited about, is that even in the 9 years I’ve lived and worked here, I’ve seen the city change a lot. There is serious investment coming into the region, and there’s increasing recognition that there is a lot of talent here. There are interesting and innovative businesses being hatched here and growing here. I hope that in the next 2-5 years that will continue, and that more young people will see that you can start and grow a business in Devon and Cornwall, and that will attract even more talent into the region. There’s certainly a lot of ambition and talent in the region.”
Do you have any success stories you could share?
“There was a startup that began life in Cornwall, called Jubel. The founders are Jessie Wilson and Tom Jordan, both Exeter Grads who became friends whilst studying on Exeter’s Penryn campus. The idea for Jubel was born following a ski trip to France, where Jesse and Tom discovered the demi pêche beer tradition, a refreshing drink of lager mixed with a peach syrup. Upon returning to the UK and unable to find anything that hit the spot they were inspired to recreate their favourite après-ski drink back home. Combining their passion for beer and unique flavours, they created a craft beer infused with natural fruit flavours to bring their vision to life.
Jubel set off on a path of extraordinary growth, taking on three interns from the University of Exeter, with the support of a grant from the Student Startups programme, they proceeded to build distribution in more than 300 pubs in just three months and gained a listing in Sainsbury’s during their first year
Tom left a few years into it, feeling that he was ready to explore new and different opportunities. Jessie continued with Jubel and has had great success with it. Tom has now circled back to working in startups, joining a venture accelerator in London called Antler, where he met two co-founders and founded a startup called “Gryd”, which is working in the renewable, solar energy sector. They’ve just raised £1.3million in a pre-seed investment round. I think it’s interesting that these two graduates that started-up on one business have taken different paths, but have stayed within the entrepreneurial space and have had great success on their respective journeys.
What does your best day at work look like? I really enjoy the inspirational talks, finding interesting speakers, and hearing their stories and what students choose to ask. I always enjoy working directly with students, and working through their ideas, to ask questions that will help them find their own solutions to whatever challenge they might be facing. I also enjoy trying to raise visibility of what we are doing, and why it’s important, so people can get involved with the programme and get a lot out of it.
I want people to know that the door is always open, even if you’re not sure if you have an idea, or if the programme would be the right fit. Please come along, we would love to have opportunity to work with you. www.exeter.ac.uk/studentstartups”
