Our students will graduate into a world that is changing rapidly. 

We offer a range of support to students who have an inspired idea and many of them create businesses during their time here, or after graduation.

We help student entrepreneurs with:

Guidance

We run programmes such as the one-week Startup Bootcamp, which gives students the chance to develop and test their ideas and pitch it for the chance to win funding. We also host workshops, events and talks that provide timely advice.

Community

Through societies such as Enactus, students meet like-minded entrepreneurs and discuss fresh ideas. We also hold challenges such as the 24-hour Social Storm, in which participants explore solutions to the world's sustainability issues.

Funding

We give promising entrepreneurs a kick-start with our funding schemes. Our funding pots range from our "Try It" scheme - which offers up to £500 to explore an idea - to our "Scale It" scheme - which provides support of up to £50,000 for further growth. More than 270 different student or graduate companies have received UEA funding totalling over £1.5m.

Facilities

Once companies have been set up, many members of our community find themselves at The Enterprise Centre, UEA's hub for growing businesses. This award-winning sustainable building provides a bright and attractive place to work, as well as access to events, meeting rooms and social spaces. 

Start-up mentoring

The Start-Up Mentoring programme aims to give student and graduate entrepreneurs as much support in starting a business or scaling a venture as possible. One way we try to do this is to make available mentors with suitable knowledge and experience to any interested students and graduates. If you are interested in sharing your business knowledge and experience, please contact the Student Enterprise team on info.enterprise@uea.ac.uk.