Hi, I’m Emily! I am a third-year law student and I recently completed a project placement with PyTerra, after following a two-week Intrapreneurial course with IKEEP. I heard about the IKEEP training programme in the Careers Service newsletter, and it seemed like a great way to get interesting work experience. I got offered a 4-week work placement at PyTerra, which is a local ‘FinTech’ (Financial Technology) start-up and app where investors, developers, grant givers and corporates can collaborate to make low carbon housing projects feasible. Essentially, PyTerra’s mission is to generate finance for aggregated low-carbon projects.
As a PyTerra intern, I had two roles; one as a market researcher and one as a legal researcher. My market research involved reaching out to and interviewing potential users of the application. I interacted with corporates and project developers to understand what they liked about the app and how they thought it could be improved. This developed my interpersonal skills and my knowledge of sustainable finance, and I now feel confident talking to corporate personnel about business, finance and sustainability. As a legal researcher, I was tasked with writing a report on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governmental) regulation. I researched sustainable investment labels (which show whether a business is eco-friendly) and I created some that PyTerra could use. I really enjoyed presenting my report to the CEO, who was receptive and inquisitive about my ideas. 
The best thing about working at PyTerra was that, as a start-up, all my ideas were listened to and built on and I had the creative freedom to contribute to the business. After a successful month at PyTerra, I was asked to complete a summer internship with them. I hope to build on my previous ideas, improve my industry knowledge and complete valuable work. Financing low-carbon projects is important for the future of our planet because it provides an economic incentive to be carbon-zero. I can’t wait to get more involved with achieving that aim!
I would recommend the IKEEP programme to everyone! The training programme expanded my knowledge on the business industry and has developed my entrepreneurial mindset. I found it useful to learn practical business skills, as they are not covered in my academic degree. The business placement was the best part of the whole experience. After completing my placement, I now want to qualify as an environmental lawyer who specialises in ESG regulation. Therefore, the IKEEP internship has given me career direction and I can now show future employers the level of enthusiasm I have for this industry.
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Want to get involved?
We welcome all current students, of all disciplines. 
More information about the IKEEP Programme can be found on the Careers Service website, along with IKEEP’s FAQs.
Any queries, just drop us an email: uob-ikeep@bristol.ac.uk