MORE than 100 potential entrepreneurs of the future will attend a specialist Creative Enterprise Conference at Sunderland Software Centre on Thursday 3rd April.
The event organised by the University of Sunderland, working with Transmit Start-ups and Sunderland Software Centre, is designed to combine students from across the University to collaborate in teams and come up with a brilliant new business start-up idea.
The students will work in groups throughout the conference and be mentored by more than 20 North East entrepreneurs, from a wide range of industries including manufacturing, creative, digital tech & media sectors.
The conference idea was developed by Jason Legget, Head of Convergence at University of Sunderland working with Richard Myers, Commercial Director at Transmit Start-Ups.
The event also supports the University’s Sunderland Futures initiative, a programme of activities designed to help undergraduates make the most of work experience, volunteering, employability skills and extra-curricular academic development while studying their degree, providing them with an outstanding platform to develop as a person and prepare for their future career.
Jason explained: “This is an amazing opportunity for students from different faculties and departments in the University to bring their expertise, the passion and their ideas together. Who knows what might come of it, we might find the next Richard Branson!
“We meet people of all ages with brilliant business ideas and, through our business support, finance and mentoring programmes, we help them turn those ideas into something real. This event allows us to spend time with young, ambitious people and our job is to make them realise that entrepreneurship is a real option after graduating” said Richard Myers.
The all day conference will culminate with groups pitching their business idea to their peers and an industry panel. The best idea, voted by the audience, will win a special Blueprint Award Cash Prize of £500 which will be presented to the winning team at the upcoming Sunderland Futures Awards to be held at The Sunderland Marriott on the 12th June.
