Kent Business School hosted the first of 6 events in collaboration with the Kent Enterprise Hub on Wednesday 19th October, as part of the Network 612 initiative. This networking initiative, open to all staff and students at the University of Kent is now in its third year and provides an opportunity to experience entrepreneurship and business start-up in action.
This series of events complements the taught modules that 300 students are studying as part of their degree. These interactive sessions on Entrepreneurship, business start-up, marketing, and strategy allow students to interact with other enterprise-minded individuals as well as utilising the support, advice and resources offered by the Business School, Kent Enterprise Hub, external mentors and external corporations.
The keynote speaker for Wednesday’s launch, Dr. Tendayi Viki, Head of Enterprise and Lecturer at the School of Psychology, encouraged avid listeners to engage with customers from an early stage in his introduction to the “Lean Start-Up” methodology. Elizabeth Hodgson, CEO and founder of ‘Civic Boom’, a Lean Start Up enterprise, currently based at the Kent Enterprise Hub reiterated Dr. Viki’s sentiments as she relayed her own inspirational start-up journey to students, academics and businesses who were in attendance at the Network 612 event. Elizabeth relayed the importance of ‘pivoting’ and re-thinking business plans during her talk and demonstration. Founder of ‘Jobs in Kent’ and Civic Boom investor and mentor, Paul Andrews, talked about getting investors and customers interested in new business ideas, and praised Network 612 for encouraging students to network and connect. “Keep coming to these networks” he said, “you never know, you might be sitting next to your next business partner”.
Stephanie Barwick, Enterprise Manager at the Kent Enterprise Hub, echoed this and was pleased so many students and companies attended the network : “It’s fantastic to see so many students committed to improving their entrepreneurial skills and networks. Network 612 is an excellent resource for all students at the University of Kent. The added advantage is those students that attend the network also earn employability points, a scheme created to reward students for their engagement in employability skills training. Tonight has been a tremendous success for the Business School and the Kent Enterprise Hub. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the series has in store.”
Network 612 will be hosting 5 more events in the forthcoming academic year. These networks are open to University of Kent students interested in Entrepreneurship and business start-up. The network is also open to those companies wishing to connect with students:
Thursday 17th November 2011 5.30pm Medway campus
Thursday 8th December 2011 5.30pm Canterbury campus
Thursday 16th February 2012 5.30pm Canterbury campus
Monday 5th March 2012 5.30pm Medway campus
Thursday 5th April 2012 5.30pm Canterbury campus
For further information, or to book a place at one of the events, contact Kent Business School on kbsbusiness@kent.ac.uk