Student entrepreneurs sought

Thursday 12 February 2004

The University of St Andrews is launching an innovative £10,000 competition for student entrepreneurs, which will provide them with an ‘entrepreneurial toolkit’ invaluable for graduate employment and starting up new businesses.

The competition – to be launched at the University next week (Wednesday 18th February, 2004) – is open to all business-minded and enterprising students, allowing them to develop entrepreneurial skills essential for success, whether in new business start-up or for working with the best graduate recruiters in the country.

Quantum Leap 2004 – ‘Accelerating Enterprise’ organised by the Student Enterprise Office aims to encourage students to create – and develop – a sustainable business idea.

Winning ideas may potentially be taken up by some of the top-level sponsors, or may form the basis of a small business incubator at the University.

SIE Enterprise Manager, Christopher Venditozzi, said: “We are encouraging students to take a ‘Quantum Leap’ and come up with something really special, a high quality business idea which can potentially be taken into the marketplace.”

“We are challenging all students to come up with a viable and sustainable business plan, from individuals or teams, to sports clubs to student societies. They will be given the opportunity to pitch their business plan to a panel of top professionals, which will be of invaluable experience for the future,” he continued.

Christopher, the University’s first Student Enterprise Officer, has been working hard over the last 15 months to develop the concept of student enterprise and his position is part funded by the Scottish Institute for Enterprise.

“Ideally we would like to equip our entrepreneurial students with a toolkit of transferable business awareness and skills to take into the graduate employment, as well as preparing them for the realities of the business world. ‘Quantum Leap’ captures the momentum and motivation currently being generated by Student Enterprise at the University,” he said.

Sponsored by top graduate recruiter Accenture and the Entrepreneurial Exchange, core- funded by Scottish Enterprise Fife and supported by a range of local and Scottish businesses, the competition is even bigger and better than the first, launched last year. It will award top prizes of up to £2000 and offers free legal advice to students to develop their winning business ideas.

The competition will be launched this year over beer and pizza, and students will be given the opportunity to ‘meet the entrepreneur’, Andy Campbell, Commercial Director of Dundee- based computer gaming giants, VisualScience.

The weeks following the launch will see a range of high-profile business speakers visiting the University to give lectures on subjects such as tax, marketing and negotiation, patents, accounting and intellectual property.

Full details of the competition can be found at: http://www.st- andrews.ac.uk/sie

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT CHRISTOPHER VENDITOZZI ON 01334 467244 / 467193 OR cv7@st- andrews.ac.uk

SPONSORS:

Launch Event Sponsors – Cobra® Beer and Pizza Express®

Gold Sponsors – Scottish Enterprise Fife, Accenture UK, The Entrepreneurial Exchange and Blackadders Solicitors

Silver Sponsors – Clydesdale Bank, Lloyds TSB, John Smith & Son, The Booksellers, Stagecoach UK Bus

In conjunction with the University of St Andrews, Research and Enterprise Services and the Scottish institute for Enterprise [SIE].

Issued by Beattie Media On behalf of the University of St Andrews Contact Gayle Cook on 01334 467227, mobile 07900 050 103, or email [email protected] Ref: Quantum Leap pr 120204 View the latest University news at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk


Category Student experience

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