I have an idea but is it really possible to turn it into a business?
Many of you may have ideas of how to solve problems, make money or change the world for the better – but knowing how to turn those ideas into action can be the biggest barrier for many students. Rest assured it is possible and we are here to support you along the way.
So how can the Careers Service help?
We offer workshops, networking events, 1:1 appointments and funding to help you improve your enterprise skills and confidence.
More than that, the New Enterprise Competition gives you the opportunity to apply for grant funding at any and every stage of your journey from idea conception and development to growth of your venture. Ideas can be social enterprises, charities, or traditional business models, whatever your passion is. What we look for are good ideas we believe could be developed into a viable business!
The Development stage of the competition is now open, with up to £1,000 of funding available. Don’t miss out – the deadline is 8 March 2019!
Could it help me?
Absolutely – here’s one example of a fantastic new business that received funding.
LivePrize – a brand-new app that does free giveaways differently. Their cash giveaways are live, taking place at scheduled times. They are more fun, genuine and sociable, not to mention faster, than the giveaways you’re currently used to entering online. No lengthy sign up forms, no sharing or tagging on social media – just be there and see what happens!
Angus, Matt and Alex entered the New Enterprise Competition last year and won £1,000 to help continue developing their business.
They have now launched their app on the App Store and Google Play Store with over 1,300 total downloads. They have successfully completed their first season of giveaways with over £1,000 of prize money won over 8 episodes. Not to mention that winners have included numerous Bristol students!
They are currently developing new features for season 2 which will be live in the coming months and are looking for investors to help them scale the app with prizes and features as fast as possible.
So what’s the catch?
There’s no catch, but we do have some requirements: at least one member of your team must be a current Bristol University student or a graduate from the last three years; and your business/charity/social enterprise must be new.
The requirements change depending on which stage of the competition you enter, but you’ll always be asked to demonstrate why your idea is valuable and that you are providing a product or service that people want.
If you have any questions or want to find out more, make sure to check out the web page and feel free to get in touch with the enterprise team directly on careers-basecamp@bristol.ac.uk.