The hugely popular Student Enterprise Conference returned for 2024, taking place on Wednesday 21 February at the Engine Shed on campus.
The day launched with a short networking session for attendees, where students were encouraged to make new connections before a welcome talk from the University’s Student Enterprise Manager, Reece Leggett.
The first session of the day was focussed on business investment and funding, joined by panel members Thomas Atkins (Managing Director, Identity Agency), Laura Mallaburn (Head Business Support & Angel Network Manage, Lincoln Science & Innovation Park) & Lewis Stringer (Senior Manager UK Network – East & South-East Midlands, British Business Bank) with Reece Leggett chairing the panel. The panel outlined key strategies for start-up businesses to apply for funding, as well as some of the risks to consider when applying for funding.
The second session of the day featured a graduate business owner panel. A wide range of University of Lincoln alumni were present; Maureen O’Callaghan (Beyond Money CIC), Luke Smith (Bloe Health), Osayomwanbor Wilfred Ehioba (Ehioba & Co) & Emma Haigh (Jailhouse Frock), with Dominick McOmish (Marketing & Communications Assistant, University of Lincoln) facilitating. The panel answered a wide range of questions, including their inspiration in starting a business, what keeps them motivated, how they manage the work/life balance as a start-up, how they connect with customers and more.
Lunch was provided by the Engine Shed, which gave another opportunity for attendees to network and connect with speakers from the previous panels.
The final session of the day was a keynote session with Kay Kukoyi (Founder, Purposeful Group), who tackled the topic of AI and how it can benefit business owners, with a particular focus on adaption for SMEs. Kay delivered an insightful, engaging talk in which she outlined some of the key tools that entrepreneurial students should be looking to familiarise themselves with.
The conference was attended by a record number of students, which demonstrates the high level of support provided to students by the University’s Student Enterprise team. Following on from the news that the University of Lincoln is a top-5 University for supporting Student Start-Ups, the Student Enterprise team is pleased to continue their hard work in providing a dedicated resource for students looking to explore self-employment as a future career path.
Reece Leggett, Student Enterprise Manager at the University, said: “The conference is our flagship event, and we were really pleased to see such a strong turnout from students, with lots of new faces in the audience as well. Self-employment is becoming a more and more popular option for graduates, and days like today are a perfect example to spark that idea and give attendees an insight into what running a business could look like for them.”
For more information on the conference, or the work Student Enterprise do more widely, you can contact the team at studententerprise@lincoln.ac.uk.