Do you want to do things your way? Would you like to choose your own route through life and do something based on your passions? If your answer to either of these questions is YES, then you should think about starting a business, either while you're studying here at UEA or once you've graduated.
More students than ever before are choosing to create new ventures and work for themselves, either as their main source of income or in combination with other career opportunities, boosting their CVs through an exciting portfolio of activities.
It doesn’t matter if you see yourself as the new leader in a high-tech industry or as a social activist looking to harness business to build communities and create opportunities; we can help you make it happen.
So whether you want to work alone or as part of a team with a group of friends, keep reading to find out what we can offer you.
The Student Enterprise and Employability Development (SEED) Team is part of Careers & Employability, and has the skills to support you during business start-up and growth. You can contact us to access specialist business knowledge, a network of committed supporters and excellent resources. It doesn’t matter whether you have an idea or a fully developed business plan; we can help you to turn it into a reality.
If you need an injection of funding to get an idea moving, we have a range of small grants to help social and commercial enterprises develop and grow ideas – no matter what stage they are at.
These grants start with proof of concept funding (up to £500) to help you with a specific project to get your business off the ground, such as a market research report, attendance at an event or the purchase of a small piece of equipment. These grants are quick to agree, easy to access and managed by us so that you don’t have to worry about anything apart from developing the venture.
If you have a more developed idea, you can access larger amounts of seed capital (from £500 up to £3,000). This can be used to directly cover business costs and expenses (although not wages) to really jump start your enterprise. This funding is managed by us, although at this level you can expect to be asked to present your idea to a panel who will further explore the proposal before making a decision on whether to allocate funding.
All funding allocations will be supported with mentoring and access to space in our enterprise hatchery.
If you’re an international student interested in starting a business in the UK after graduation, you might be eligible to apply for a Tier 1 visa. We can advise on your eligibility and offer ongoing support in this process.
It doesn’t matter if you see yourself as the new leader in a high-tech industry or as a social activist looking to harness business to build communities and create opportunities; we can help you make it happen.
So whether you want to work alone or as part of a team with a group of friends, keep reading to find out what we can offer you.
The Student Enterprise and Employability Development (SEED) Team is part of Careers & Employability, and has the skills to support you during business start-up and growth. You can contact us to access specialist business knowledge, a network of committed supporters and excellent resources. It doesn’t matter whether you have an idea or a fully developed business plan; we can help you to turn it into a reality.
The services provided by the SEED team are:
1. Start-up surgeries
Our staff can meet with you to discuss their ideas and help shape them. We can also recommend other sources of information, support and guidance that can help you to develop your venture. You are not limited to one visit, either: you can come back and see us any time for advice and guidance as your business develops.2. Grants and funding
Grants and funding are provided with support from Unltd, HFCE and Santander.If you need an injection of funding to get an idea moving, we have a range of small grants to help social and commercial enterprises develop and grow ideas – no matter what stage they are at.
These grants start with proof of concept funding (up to £500) to help you with a specific project to get your business off the ground, such as a market research report, attendance at an event or the purchase of a small piece of equipment. These grants are quick to agree, easy to access and managed by us so that you don’t have to worry about anything apart from developing the venture.
If you have a more developed idea, you can access larger amounts of seed capital (from £500 up to £3,000). This can be used to directly cover business costs and expenses (although not wages) to really jump start your enterprise. This funding is managed by us, although at this level you can expect to be asked to present your idea to a panel who will further explore the proposal before making a decision on whether to allocate funding.
All funding allocations will be supported with mentoring and access to space in our enterprise hatchery.
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