Helping you get to where you want to be when you graduate
Launching or owning a business as we enter a recession may seem like a scary and daunting time. With the media publicising how unemployment rates are rising due to the pandemic, and businesses varying between SME and global giants shutting down or making cuts, we assume that this is a reflection of all businesses in the country.
However, some have thrived using this as an opportunity to pivot their business plans or finally finding their place within the market.
As we approach five months of limited public gatherings due to the global pandemic, the meaning of ‘meeting new people’ has changed. Gone are the days of shaking hands, greeting someone has become a virtual exchange with an enthusiastic wave hello and goodbye. 
Even though in-person professional events may not be taking place for some time, there are still lots of opportunities taking place. Despite first impressions, our new digital environment has opened fantastic new opportunities to meet and engage with others from all over the world. Creating that great first impression is just as important online as it is offline, so we’ve put together a list of our top tips on building your network, right from the comfort of your own home.
The New Enterprise Competition drew to a close last week and the winner of the Growth stage was Kaedim, winning £10,000 and 12 months incubation at SETSquared.
Kaedim, launched in 2019 by Computer Science with Innovation students Konstantina Psoma and Roman Bromidge, is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) start-up which turns sketches into 3D models. Their degree based at the Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship alongside the help of the Basecamp Enterprise Team, allowed them to develop their idea, enhance their entrepreneurial skills and draw on a pool of expert industry mentors.
Over the course of the year, the Basecamp Enterprise Team received over 100 applications to take part in the Ideas, Development and Growth stages of the competition. Winning the competition gives students, graduates and staff the opportunity to win prize money and unlock support packages to help develop and grow their start-up ideas- whether it be a business, charity or social enterprise!
Here’s what Kaedim had to say about winning this years’ top prizes:
If you don’t think of freelancing as a graduate job, you may be missing a trick.
Being self-employed can be hugely rewarding and graduates shouldn’t dismiss it as either a short-term or more permanent option. To some it may sound like a precarious path with no certainty and little direction, whilst others see it as an exciting world of possibilities. It all depends on your mindset and skills. (more…)
Calling all Bristol’s budding entrepreneurs! On Tuesday 11 February we welcome the first Start-up drinks of the decade!
Start-up drinks is an event run on the second Tuesday of every month in collaboration between The University of Bristol’s Basecamp Enterprise Team and The University of the West of England (UWE).
Whether you have an entrepreneurial idea, an established and growing business or you are simply interested in entrepreneurship and growing your networks, this is the place to be. But don’t just take our word for it! We spoke to local businesses and students about what they heart most about Start-up Drinks…
Why did you attend Start-up Drinks?
I found out about the event while looking through the Careers Service page last year and decided to attend for a variety of reasons. I wanted to learn more about being an entrepreneur and to find out what’s going on in the local start-up community. I wanted to meet other people who might be helpful in making my start-up a reality like co founders and investors as well as customers.
Start-up Drinks is a friendly environment for students who want to get started with entrepreneurship. It is where you can meet other supportive and likeminded people. It may be just what you need to take that first step into turning your business idea into reality.
Always know why you are there. Have a friendly smile, be yourself and listen! (more…)
We asked Mercy Okoro, an International MSc Development student, about her experience of the Social Enterprise Hackathon the Basecamp Enterprise Team put on with Paryavaran Mitra in October 2019.
Paryavaran Mitra is a social enterprise based in Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad, India, which uses waste management as a tool to empower women who pick rags. (more…)
The Basecamp Enterprise Team caught up with Bristol University alumni and entrepreneur Rob Van Den Bergh. Rob co-founded Scribeless, who recently won the Santander Entrepreneurship Award 2019, and has been involved with Basecamp initiatives and events since he was a student at Bristol. Watch the video to hear about his start-up story with the Basecamp Enterprise Team, his experiences of winning the Santander Entrepreneurship Awards and his top-tips for anyone thinking of beginning their own start-up journey.
Basecamp Enterprise Team caught up with winner of Ideas Stage, New Enterprise Competition and Bristol University alumni Ash Guest. Ash founded the start-up business Focks Socks and has continued to develop her start-up since its
beginnings in 2017. Here’s what Ash had
to say about her start-up journey:
Who are you?
My name is Ash and I’ve just started a Masters in Human Rights Law, after completing my undergrad in law at UoB a couple of years ago. (more…)
It’s an exciting time for the Basecamp Enterprise Team as we reopen the New Enterprise Competition this September! But why should you apply?
1.) It caters for all stages of your start-up journey
The competition caters for all levels of start-up stages: ‘Ideas,’ ‘Development’ and ‘Growth.’ Funding is available at all stages, and there is pro bono support available from our sponsors in the Growth stage of the competition. You can apply to any and all stages of the competition and do not need to complete them in order (more information below). To read about some of our start-up stories from previous winners of the competition, click here.