Press Releases
UEL students prove they have the 'E-Factor'
26 January 2007
For immediate release… Friday 26 January 2007
Ten enterprising students from the University of East London gathered at the Knowledge Dock Centre on Wednesday 24th January to celebrate their success in reaching the final stages of Knowledge Dock’s exciting new business plan competition ‘E-Factor’.
On the day finalists who received a certificate and bottle of champagne to acknowledge their achievements were also paired up with industry professionals from organisations such as Barclays Bank and Angle Plc who will be mentoring them through the final stages of the competition, as they prepare to battle it out for the top award of a £10,000 start-up grant to turn their business idea into a fully functional business.
Martin Chan, Communications Manager at Knowledge Dock, said: “The interest and response that the competition generated has been tremendous. We received in excess of one hundred applications for the competition and the standard of the entries and range of ideas was truly impressive; I know the judging panel found the task of selecting ten finalists to proceed to the final stages extremely difficult and challenging.
“The level of response that we have received for the competition goes to illustrate the strong entrepreneurial culture that exists within our student community and further enhances UEL’s reputation as one of the leading universities for entrepreneurship”.
Waltham Forest Councillor and Barclays Bank Local Business Manager Johar Khan, who is also a UEL graduate, said: “I was really impressed with the presentations given by all the finalists today. The ideas presented were very interesting and the level of enthusiasm and ingenuity demonstrated by all the finalists was inspiring”.
Emma Rigby and Louise Schols, students of Fashion Design with Marketing at UEL, were delighted that their idea for an ethical marketing consultancy had been selected to proceed to the finalist stage.
Louise said: “I am really looking forward to the next stage of the competition as the Master Classes will expose us to the various elements of business planning and at the same time help to develop our knowledge. In addition, having access to a mentor who has an abundance of experience and knowledge about the marketing industry will also prove invaluable, and we are excited about the prospect of working with someone who has been there and done it all”.
Over the next few weeks the finalists will attend a series of business Master Classes to help them gain a better appreciation of the various elements that form a robust business plan. The finalists are then required to submit a twenty page business plan before presenting their business case to a panel of industry professionals at the ‘Dragon’s Den’ style grand finale on 7 March.
Ends/.
For further information please contact Martin Chan, Communications Manager for Knowledge Dock, University of East London on 020 8223 7190 or email m.chan@uel.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
Knowledge Dock
As the business facing arm of UEL, Knowledge Dock provides enterprising services for businesses, public and voluntary sector organisations, as well as to students and entrepreneurs. Our mission is to support the development of enterprise and innovation by providing access to the facilities, knowledge and expertise of the University, its academic staff and its students.
University of East London
The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community, with 20,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of our diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry. www.uel.ac.uk
Ten enterprising students from the University of East London gathered at the Knowledge Dock Centre on Wednesday 24th January to celebrate their success in reaching the final stages of Knowledge Dock’s exciting new business plan competition ‘E-Factor’.
On the day finalists who received a certificate and bottle of champagne to acknowledge their achievements were also paired up with industry professionals from organisations such as Barclays Bank and Angle Plc who will be mentoring them through the final stages of the competition, as they prepare to battle it out for the top award of a £10,000 start-up grant to turn their business idea into a fully functional business.
Martin Chan, Communications Manager at Knowledge Dock, said: “The interest and response that the competition generated has been tremendous. We received in excess of one hundred applications for the competition and the standard of the entries and range of ideas was truly impressive; I know the judging panel found the task of selecting ten finalists to proceed to the final stages extremely difficult and challenging.
“The level of response that we have received for the competition goes to illustrate the strong entrepreneurial culture that exists within our student community and further enhances UEL’s reputation as one of the leading universities for entrepreneurship”.
Waltham Forest Councillor and Barclays Bank Local Business Manager Johar Khan, who is also a UEL graduate, said: “I was really impressed with the presentations given by all the finalists today. The ideas presented were very interesting and the level of enthusiasm and ingenuity demonstrated by all the finalists was inspiring”.
Emma Rigby and Louise Schols, students of Fashion Design with Marketing at UEL, were delighted that their idea for an ethical marketing consultancy had been selected to proceed to the finalist stage.
Louise said: “I am really looking forward to the next stage of the competition as the Master Classes will expose us to the various elements of business planning and at the same time help to develop our knowledge. In addition, having access to a mentor who has an abundance of experience and knowledge about the marketing industry will also prove invaluable, and we are excited about the prospect of working with someone who has been there and done it all”.
Over the next few weeks the finalists will attend a series of business Master Classes to help them gain a better appreciation of the various elements that form a robust business plan. The finalists are then required to submit a twenty page business plan before presenting their business case to a panel of industry professionals at the ‘Dragon’s Den’ style grand finale on 7 March.
Ends/.
For further information please contact Martin Chan, Communications Manager for Knowledge Dock, University of East London on 020 8223 7190 or email m.chan@uel.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
Knowledge Dock
As the business facing arm of UEL, Knowledge Dock provides enterprising services for businesses, public and voluntary sector organisations, as well as to students and entrepreneurs. Our mission is to support the development of enterprise and innovation by providing access to the facilities, knowledge and expertise of the University, its academic staff and its students.
University of East London
The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community, with 20,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of our diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry. www.uel.ac.uk
