GRADUATE START-UPS IN WALES Universities Wales Prifysgolion Cymru WHERE IN WALES BANGOR WREXHAM ABERYSTWYTH LAMPETER CAMARTHEN PONTYPRIDD NEWPORT CARDIFF SWANSEA 2 CONTENTS 4/5 Introduction 6/7 Aberystwyth University 8/9 Bangor University 10/11 Cardiff Metropolitan University 12/13 Cardiff University 14/15 The Open University in Wales 16/17 Swansea University 18/19 University of South Wales 20/21 University of Wales Trinity Saint David 22/23 Wrexham Glyndwr University 24 Contact Details 3 INTRODUCTION Across Wales, universities play a Entrepreneurship by students and be an important part of Wales’ future crucial role in supporting and driving graduates has been an important economic prosperity. the Welsh economy. An independent focus for Universities Wales over study found that Welsh universities the past 12 months. We have The support that universities offer in 2015/16 generated £5bn of output worked to highlight the innovative these Start-ups is broad including and nearly 50,000 jobs in Wales. The and valuable contribution these practical assistance on office space, nature of that economic contribution businesses make to Wales and the bursaries to help with setup costs, is broad, from directly employing staff ways in which universities support and support in identifying and to research and innovation links with those students and graduates on securing investment opportunities. communities and employers. their Start-up journey. Students and graduates also benefit from mentoring and advice from tutors, Perhaps an area that isn’t always Wales performs well on graduate lecturers and dedicated enterprise considered when examining the Start-ups. The annual Higher staff who offer support on every step impact of our universities is the ways Education Business and Community of the Start-up journey. in which universities generate and Interaction survey consistently finds support Start-ups. This takes many that Wales outperforms the rest of the forms, for example staff at universities UK on the number of graduate Start- will often start spin-out companies ups we have per capita and these based on their research work. But Start-ups are more likely to last three a key part of the start-up support years or more than those elsewhere universities offer is the support they in the UK. And, as such, student and provide to students and graduates. graduate start-ups have the potential 4 The Start-ups that we’ve engaged think about how they can offer with throughout this work show good working space for Start-ups, us the diversity of businesses and opportunities for Start-ups to generated by students and graduates. meet, network and collaborate. From videogame developers and The ability to share learning and augmented reality companies to support each other was a key theme designer homewear businesses and that emerged from our conversations forestry education social enterprises. with these businesses. Everyone’s Start-up journey is different, and although all were This publication highlights a at different stages of that journey selection of just some of the 1,635 they shared an enthusiasm and graduate Start-ups active in Wales entrepreneurial spirit that should be and the ways in which each of our championed and celebrated. universities supports and encourages entrepreneurship. We would like to As a sector there is always more thank all those who have given their we can do. There are opportunities valuable time and engaged with us in for us to provide a more consistent this work and who have shared both offer, and to build further links with how they have been supported in local businesses that can help Start- starting a business, and the things Professor Julie Lydon OBE, ups further connect to their local that could be done to help people Chair, Universities Wales communities. And similarly, there are like them in the future. opportunities for other stakeholders to 5 ABERYSTWYTH UNIVERSITY Aberystwyth University is a leading and advice on all aspects of turning research institution with a reputation their good idea into a great enterprise for teaching excellence and high through their AberPreneurs service, levels of student satisfaction. which offers: Established as the first University College in Wales in 1872, ● Free Start-up workshops and Aberystwyth offers an extensive presentations held on campus range of programmes across the arts, sciences and social sciences. ● Free one-to-one Start-up They blend academic rigour with mentoring from a professional individual attention, developing business consultant discipline-specific knowledge ● InvEnterPrize - Aberystwyth alongside the skills their students University’s annual £10,000 student need for lives of success. ideas competition Aberystwyth University supports ● Business Start-up Week - students, graduates and staff who a whole week, each June, of wish to start new businesses, workshops and presentations for particularly where these businesses budding entrepreneurs are related to the knowledge and expertise of the University. ● Funding Advice Whatever the student’s current ● Networking thinking or level of readiness their Careers Service is there to offer help 6 Kerry Ferguson & Emlyn Jones Business: GWE Cambrian WEB Great websites from Wales - specialising in bilingual website design and development, Kerry and Emlyn work closely with a range of businesses and organisations. They’re also experts in digital marketing and social media. “Attending Aberystwyth University provided us with great skills when it came to running our own business – For more information: including management, time keeping, confidence and resilience. There’s also a great team at the University Louise Somerfield to help develop ideas that aren’t on Enterprise Administrator the usual career path, and a fantastic network to build on in the town.” [email protected] 01970 622378 www.facebook.com/ AberUni.Enterprise‌‌ 7 BANGOR UNIVERSITY Bangor University provides their students ● Opportunities to develop enterprise skills ● Enterprise bursaries with opportunities to develop their at the annual Student Christmas Market enterprise and entrepreneurial skills and ● Pitching events to support those interested in taking their ● Start-up placements business ideas forward. ● Networking opportunities ● Networking opportunities From Product Design students at the ● Start-up competitions School of Education to those with a desire ● Enterprise competitions to explore their own ideas at Pontio’s innovation spaces via the Enterprise by ● Participation in Enactus programme Design programme, students at Bangor and Santander Universities have access to specialist facilities and Entrepreneurship scheme support packages tailored to their needs. Students wishing to develop their business Bangor University supports ideas even further also have access graduate Start-ups through: to incubation space at M-SParc, the University’s Science Park on Anglesey. ● Business Start-up workshops Bangor University supports student entrepreneurialism by providing: ● Specialist Bootcamps for aspects such as Digital Marketing ● Workshops to develop enterprise skills ● Free 6-months incubation at M-SParc ● Guest speaker events ● Prototyping capacity at Pontio Innovation ● One-to-one mentoring ● Test-trading at the annual Student ● Funding to conduct market research Christmas Market or to develop enterprise skills 8 Jemima presenting at an employability event Mima Letts about the opportunities available in forestry Business: Tree Sparks Tree Sparks is a social enterprise on a mission to dispel the myths surrounding forestry and demonstrate that forestry careers are viable and hugely rewarding for everyone! “I only started my own business because of the encouragement and support I received from everyone at Bangor University. I went from never considering being an entrepreneur to being a business owner, being able to see a business advisor, get funding for projects and support at competitions from B-Enterprising, encouragement For more information: from my lecturers and publicity from the corporate communications team”. Lowri Owen, Enterprise Projects Manager, Skills & Employability Service 01248 388424 [email protected] 9 CARDIFF METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY Established in 2013, the Centre for ● Newly appointed Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship (CFE) is Cardiff Education Lecturer to support the Metropolitan University’s dedicated development of entrepreneurship department for developing and pedagogy across the 5 academic encouraging students, graduates and staff schools to engage in entrepreneurship education. ● Multiple events such as boot camps, The award-winning team includes workshops, networking and competitions entrepreneurship education specialists and each week. experienced entrepreneurs who promote a modern take on entrepreneurial pedagogy ● Active and funded Entrepreneurship and create a centre for excellence within Society the University. ● Incubation space and accelerator to all In 2017 the Centre opened the newly UK graduates and entrepreneurs named CF5 incubator and accelerator programme providing an eco-system for ● Start-up Visas for Cardiff Met graduates graduate Start-ups and an innovation hub and UK Postgraduates for local businesses and Welsh graduates. CFE currently supports over 100 Start-ups ● Advice from established graduate and freelancers annually. Start-ups, including Santander Universities Student Entrepreneur of the Year and Cardiff Business Awards Young CFE offers: Business Person of the Year winners ● Dedicated Entrepreneurship