Category: Entrepreneurship

Mental health and mushrooms: from intern to co-founder

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An interview with Chris Baker, the founder of No Ordinary Moments, on his experience of the SME Internship Scheme and why he made his intern a co-founder of his company.

How did No Ordinary Moments start? 

As a former college athlete in North Carolina, I’ve always been intrigued by sports performance and nutrition.

The idea for No Ordinary Moments first came to me when I was an intern working 15-hour days in Silicon Valley, drinking 5 plus coffees a day. 

I believed my coffee habit enhanced my energy, focus, and productivity. However, I didn’t understand why I often felt anxious, jittery, overwhelmed, and lacked energy.

My caffeine dependency was amplifying my internal struggles, so I embarked on a journey to create my own drink. 

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Meet our 2024 New Enterprise Competition winners!

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The New Enterprise Competition (NEC) drew to a thrilling conclusion at the Engine Shed last night. The award ceremony brought out the best and brightest of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The NEC is the Careers Service’s flagship start-up competition. Run by the Basecamp Enterprise Team, students, graduates, and staff, with support from mentors and experts, transform their business ideas into business realities. The final stage of the competition, the GROWTH stage, sees participants battle it out in pitches to a panel of experts for a chance to win a share of £25,000 of funding!

(Pictured from left to right are: Shabaj Ahmed (Progressable), Rachel Keys (Heartly), Ajeet Bhambra (Foundercentre), Artemis Fragkopoulos (SLANT), Deeshen Shah (Lettus Digest), Louisa Billington (Accomodeep), Weronika Stelmach (Weaving Change), Isobel Turner (Attic Catalogues), and Vasudev Menon (Invaai)). 
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My IKEEP project with Albotherm

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Through the IKEEP programme, students undertake an intrapreneurial training programme, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to work in industry through subsequent paid project placements with SMEs. 

Afrida, who is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Project Management, recently completed one of our IKEEP project placements with Albotherm and told us about her experience. 

Can you tell us about your IKEEP project?  

A photo of Afrida, smiling in the sunshine and leaning against a stone wall.

I secured a project placement with Albotherm; a start-up specializing in advanced material technology who have developed a groundbreaking solution that adjusts its opacity based on temperature, utilizing sunlight to cool buildings passively during hot weather conditions.  

The focus of my project was to facilitate the commercial market launch of this material and to provide insights into potential market integration for Albotherm’s technology. My responsibilities included exploring three key market segments: skylights for industrial warehouses, office windows, and glass facades for commercial buildings.

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IKEEP project 2024: Our experience working with Bristol Hub

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The IKEEP programme offers students the opportunity to gain intrapreneurial training and engage with industry on knowledge exchange projects through a paid team placement with an SME.

The three students who made up the Bristol Hub IKEEP project team

Three undergraduates, Jack, (Economics and Management), Olivia (History and Spanish) and Kristina (Politics) recently completed one of our projects with Bristol Hub.

We spoke to them about what they have gained from the experience.

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How IKEEP can help you become an INTRApreneur

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Would you like to develop your Intrapreneurial skills and gain invaluable experience working with entrepreneurs?

Our IKEEP (Intrapreneurial Knowledge Exchange Enterprise Pathway) programme is designed for current students from all disciplines to undertake training and engage with industry on knowledge exchange projects as business advisors.

Students will get the opportunity to develop business model solutions and market awareness whilst enhancing their skills as intrapreneurs and future employees.

IKEEP students attending a training session with Deloitte.

The IKEEP programme includes training in a range of business areas such as managing innovation, business model canvas and leadership strategies. After completing the training, you can apply for a project placement which matches businesses with teams of proactive students to tackle innovative project briefs through flexible 4-week project placements.

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How an SME Internship can kick start your entrepreneurial career

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“The decisions you make at University are often life-shaping. They set the tone for your future and compound over decades”

Adam Chambers is a Bristol History (BA) alum, and President of Nurse Recruitment Experts. In his third year at the University of Bristol he participated in our SME Internship Scheme.

Here are his thoughts on how this has shaped his career:

“Why am I writing to encourage you to apply for an SME Internship? 

I started Nurse Recruitment Experts (NRX) in 2019, nine months after graduating from studying History at Bristol.  

Since then, we’ve sourced and hired 10,000 plus Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Certified Nursing Assistants for health systems across the US and Canada.

A photo of Adam smiling, outdoors in a suit.
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Could you be an INTRApreneur?

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Develop your intrapreneurial skills and gain invaluable experience working with inspiring entrepreneurs with IKEEP.

Students involved in the IKEEP programme engage in online training in a range of business areas such as managing innovation, business model canvas and leadership strategies. 

From here, students can apply for a short project placement (a commitment of 70 hours per student, spread flexibly over 4 weeks), working remotely for a regional business or charity as part of an interdisciplinary team of 3 students.  

Some of this year’s IKEEP participants at our IKEEP mingle event.

We spoke with Mansour Alshamsi, a student who has previously participated in IKEEP training and an industry project placement to find out about his experience in the IKEEP programme. 

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Founder’s keepers – advice from a working start-up

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The New Enterprise Competition 2023 has come to an end. We caught up with finalist Ben Wainwright who comes loaded with lived experience from the world of start up.

Tell us about yourself and what sparked your interest in entrepreneurship.

Remap founder Ben Wainwright.

My name is Ben Wainwright and I am a co-founder and CTO of Remap Mental Fitness.

At Remap, we teach working professionals and global brands how to train their mind to improve how they think, feel and perform.

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My IKEEP project helping to protect children online 

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The IKEEP programme offers students free business training and industry experience through a paid team placement with a small enterprise.

Marketing undergraduate Nina tells us about her IKEEP project placement with non-profit Better Together and how it’s inspired her future career plans. 

Nina, can you tell us about your IKEEP project with Better Together?

Marketing student Nina Yang

Better Together offers workshops and resources on online safety, specifically targeting parents, guardians, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals working with children and young people. They also provide workshops tailored to adult internet use.

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From Physics to HR – my IKEEP project

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Francisco is a physics postgraduate studying for a PhD in Functional Nanomaterials. He told us about his recent IKEEP (Intrapreneurial Knowledge Exchange Enterprise Pathway) placement, helping Safer Industries to develop their human resources (HR). to develop their human resources (HR). This project ran with funding from Bristol Innovations.

Francisco, can you tell us more about your IKEEP project?  

Safer Industries primarily focuses on services and products for clients to improve their safety and prevent criminal activity.

Physics PhD student Francisco Alvarez del Castillo Manzanos

We were tasked with laying the groundwork for their HR operational guidelines and policies, such as the Employee Lifecycle and Personal Development Programme.

This meant getting to know the company’s culture and goals, along with existing industry standards and best practices, the legal space the company operates within, and a fair bit of reflecting on what our ideal workplace would be and how to bring it about for future employees. 

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