March 10, 2021, by aczjb1
Ingenuity Lab Announces Spring Events Programme – Get Involved!
It’s now been a whole year since the pandemic changed the way we live: last March, we closed the doors of the Ingenuity Lab, not knowing when we would return. Like everyone, we’ve had to adapt how we operate, and since then we have strived to maintain our usual level of support for our budding entrepreneurs by moving our services online.
Throughout the first lockdown, we brought our usual programme of Roundtable Seminars and Surgeries to our members in their homes via Microsoft Teams, aided by a growing list of business mentors, Entrepreneurs in Residence and friends of the Lab willing to impart valuable knowledge and help young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and thrive in these troubled times.
And now, as the Lab continues to grow, our upcoming events programme is growing bigger, better and more diverse than ever! Aided once more by our network of industry leaders and entrepreneurs, the Spring Events programme promises to provide Lab members with invaluable wisdom and advice from industry experts across the professional spectrum.
And we’re still trying out new ways of supporting our members!
Last month we hosted “Pitch to Win”, a competition that helped members craft and perfect their elevator pitches, with cash prizes awarded to the best pitches, courtesy of our friends at Santander Universities.
Members were invited to deliver their 30 second elevator pitch to a judging panel, with the top three expanding on their initial pitch to battle it out for the top prize of £1,000.
“Pitch to Win did not disappoint”, said Olivia Swift of Lotus Maternity, who was awarded £250 for her pitch. “It was a wonderful way to bring start-ups and SMEs together for a valuable opportunity to showcase their bright ideas. In a time where we feel so disconnected from one another, the Lab engineered a novel way to unite members, whilst providing the excitement that competition brings.”
The coming months are stacked full of engaging speakers from across the business spectrum, with old friends and new faces lending their time, experience and knowledge to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. Our upcoming programme is more diverse than ever, and we hope everyone who attends will be able to find inspiration from our speakers. As we continue to expand our offer, we want to simultaneously expand our network to ensure that the entire University benefits from the opportunities the Lab provides.
We’re always on the lookout for new members, so if you’re a current student, staff member or alumni of the University and want to get involved, head over to our website to find out what membership entails and how to apply.
On Wednesday March 17, we welcome a very special guest in two-time world paratriathlon champion Steve Judge, who will be taking members on a journey to show how they can turn excuses into challenges and set goals to help them overcome obstacles in life.
Steve Judge
The following week (24 March), veteran R&D executive and Venture Capital managing partner Moshe Sharaf will be giving a talk on the Lean Start-up Approach. Moshe will bring his years of experience to impart knowledge regarding development methodology for young start-ups.
In the Spring months we continue to strengthen our bond with the University and get some academic inspiration from the Haydn Green Institute. In April we have a guest talk from Dr Chris Carter, who teaches the popular Entrepreneurial Creativity module on the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management MSc at Nottingham University Business School.
Chris, who took the internet by storm in recent months with his creative introduction videos for the course, will be talking about Getting Creative with Social Media (28 April), and will seek to show how to harness the power of social media for the benefit of your business.
And in May, Professors of Practice Robert Carroll and David Falzani will deliver a special session on How to Approach an Investor (26 May). With decades of industry experience behind them, David and Robert will face off in a mock investment pitch, which promises to be a fantastic model to learn from as the pros show us how they perform on the other side of the pitch.
In the Lab, our ambition is to create an innovative community of entrepreneurs, working together to develop ideas, promote radical innovation and produce exciting new start-ups. We actively encourage work targeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and as such we have seminars in the summer months regarding social enterprise and gender equality.
In May, Cherie White from Think for the Future will share her journey in her talk, Social Enterprise Like a Boss! (12 May) She’ll be talking about what led to her launching her youth mentoring venture and some of the pitfalls, joys and successes of starting a business for the greater good.
Dr Terri Holloway
And in June we’ll be hosting an unmissable special event on women’s entrepreneurship called She’s the Business! (9 June) We’ll be bringing an outstanding panel of women entrepreneurs and academics share their stories, experiences and research findings on female entrepreneurship. Keep your eyes peeled on our social channels for the full line up later in the year.
“This year’s events programme is better than ever before, providing our members and university colleagues a virtual place to learn about entrepreneurship, network, access funding and ultimately thrive… even in a pandemic”, said Lab Manager Dr Terri Holloway. “We are super excited about all that’s in store, and we can’t wait to see you all there!”
For more information about joining the Lab, visit our website.
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