Get Inspired! Daniel O’Neill on Social Media for your startup
Posted by Florian Jensen on January 23, 2012 under Events, News, Videos | 
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Ever wondered about how to use Social Media properly? Wonder no more…
Find an Investor for your Fashion Business
Posted by president on January 20, 2012 under News | Be the First to Comment
In their final post in a week of articles on e-commerce innovation, Business
of Fashion are pleased to launch Elevator Pitch, a recurring feature on BoF that will showcase one exceptional fashion-technology start-up per month and provide valuable feedback from a panel of fashion, technology and investment experts, as well as the BoF community.
BoF has a track record for being the first to spot and support the most innovative start-ups making a mark in the fashion space.
BoF are currently witnessing a veritable surge of innovation and venture capital interest in the fashion-technology space. Amongst e-commerce start-ups alone, they have seen the emergence of new business models like curation, subscription retail, social merchandising, mass customisation, retail gaming and collaborative consumption.
What business models will be next to emerge? Who will be the next Net-a-Porter, Gilt Groupe or Pinterest? If you have a promising business idea in the fashion-technology space or are already working on a start-up and looking to raise your profile or attract funding, they are putting out a call for your Elevator Pitch: concise pitches that you might give to a potential investor, partner or key hire if you bumped into them in an elevator.
For entrepreneurs wishing to participate, please respond to the questions below for the opportunity to have your pitch featured here on BoF and receive valuable feedback from a panel of fashion, technology and investment experts.
THE QUESTIONS (maximum 500 words):
1. What is your business idea and what problem is it solving?
2. What market does it address and how big is this market?
3. Who is your competition and how are you different/better?
4. What is the revenue model?
5. Who are the team that will make your idea a reality?
6. How much funding are you seeking and why?
HOW IT WORKS:
1. They are accepting Elevator Pitches by email only and review the first 500 words you submit. Please send your submissions to elevatorpitch@businessoffashion.com. They cannot respond to every email and will only contact those pitches selected to be published.
2. Each month, the selected Elevator Pitch will be presented to members of our Expert Panel, who will provide their feedback on the business idea and its potential.
3. They will publish one Elevator Pitch per month, along with feedback from our Expert Panel, and invite the BoF community to join the discussion.
THE EXPERT PANEL:
Sonali De Rycker, Partner, Accel Partners, London
Sonali has been active in the European venture business for 12 years focusing on investments in the consumer internet and digital media sectors. Sonali is responsible for investments in KupiVIP, Lyst, StylistPick, Spotify, and Top10.
Kirsten Green, Founder, Forerunner Ventures, New York
Kirsten has been in the investment business since 1996, investing in both public and private companies and building a focus on the consumer sector. Representative investments include: Birchbox, Bonobos, Chloe & Isabel, Cleanwell, Serena & Lily, Skullcandy, StyleOwner, Warby Parker.
Ben Lerer, Founder, Thrillist, New York
Ben Lerer is a Manager of Lerer Ventures and the Co-Founder and CEO of Thrillist.com, a leading men’s multi-platform lifestyle publication with over 3 million daily subscriptions in 19 localized markets in the U.S. and the U.K.
Rachel Shechtman, Founder, Cube Ventures, New York
Rachel has been a marketing and merchandising consultant since 2003 working with clients including Gilt Groupe, TOMS, and the CFDA; and advising others such as Birchbox and Quirky. Recently she launched a new retail venture in Manhattan called STORY.
Imran Amed, Founder and Editor, The Business of Fashion, London
Imran is a fashion business advisor, writer, and digital entrepreneur, and is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Business of Fashion.
Accelerator Programmes now open for applications
Posted by president on January 18, 2012 under Competitions, Events | Be the First to Comment
Springboard is a mentorship-led accelerator program for startups.
We provide seed capital, office space and – most importantly – that magical ingredient of “smart-community” with mentors and other entrepreneurs.
Springboard comes in the shape of an intensive 13 week programme originally based at the inspirational ideaSpace, part of Cambridge University’s state-of-the-art Hauser Forum and is now in London from early 2012.
Historically, over 50% of the starts up who enter these programmes have succeeded in raising capital in the next round of funding.
What we’ve learned is that at the heart of Springboard should be the exchange of experience, advice, know-how and counselling provided by over 100 great mentors including experienced entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
Alongside this we provide each founder with £5,000 (up to a maximum of three founders per startup). The founders move to Cambridge or London for the 13 week programme where they receive intense mentoring and business support.
Springboard culminates in an Investor Day where the teams get to present to venture capitalists and angel investors.
Rackspace are sponsoring Springboard during 2012 in both London and Cambridge with providing cloud hosting for applicants and winners, more details to follow shortly.
Applications for our Spring 2012 intake are open now.
Go to www.springboard.com for more infor
One month to go until National Student Enterprise Conference
Posted by president on under News | Be the First to Comment
The year’s biggest student enterprise conference is back!
In February, NACUE will present its 3rd annual National Student Enterprise Conference (NSEC), book now at http://nsec2012.eventbrite.
With this year’s theme Ctrl Alt Disrupt!, NACUE are declaring 2012 the year of disruptive business and innovation. In 2010 they said no to ‘Business As Usual’, in 2011 we ‘Re-Shaped Britain’. In 2012 they’re calling for all out disruption!
They’ve teamed up with Aston University in Birmingham to present you a weekend ideas, creativity and change. Join over 300 students, meet some of the UK’s biggest entrepreneurs and get what you need to launch into disruptive entrepreneurship.
NSEC 2012 gives you all you need to change your entrepreneurial career and be part of a disruptive side of business.
Conference highlights:
- Learn to compete with industry giants
- Access to top entrepreneur moguls from across the country
- Identifying global trends
- Prepare yourself and your business for disruption
- Build a networked business by creating killer social media content
- Start-up Crash Courses covering everything from financing your startup to building an all-star team
- Masterclasses will take those of you already in business a step further with lessons on securing an entrepreneurial career and creating social media thunderstorms
…and so much more!
Who’s this for?
- Students and graduates interested in starting a business
- Young entrepreneurs looking to take their business to the next level
Join them for what will be one of 2012’s biggest events and book now at http://nsec2012.eventbrite.com/ Use discount code: nsec 25 for 25% off.
Sales 4 Entrepreneurs
Posted by president on January 16, 2012 under News | Be the First to Comment
Sales 4 Entrepreneurs from
ESSA
This is a series of 28 videos developing sales skills for students and entrepreneurs from ESSA. Each video is around 3 minutes. They have also created a downloadable booklet, which provides further information and worksheets for each video. This is a great resource for your those moving ahead or considering starting a business in 2012.
The videos are available at:
http://theessa.com/sales-4-ent
They can also be view via youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ES
The booklet is available at:
http://theessa.com/wp-content/
Business Game
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Business Game Feb 9th
This business game is designed to both teach you how to tackle common problems that businesses face, but also to give you some practice with what you will face at an Assessment Centre, showing you how to demonstrate team work, developing your communication and presentation skills according to what employers want to see.
The event will be taking place on February 9th between 2-4pm in IN031
Places are limited, please email me at president@
Event this Thursday 19th Jan
Posted by president on under News | Be the First to Comment
The New Age of Business
- Want to accelerate the success of your business?
- Need a logo or website makeover?
- Unsure how to navigate the online marketplace?
The way that we think about, develop and promote business needs to adapt to the new age of technology. The marketplace has changed and will continue to change rapidly in the years to come. We need to learn how to navigate this new market and exploit it in order to succeed. We’ll be welcoming NeBWeb, a media consultancy that will teach you to how connect with the web in order to grow. We’ll also be hearing from the founder of UpBeatAgency, who will teach you how to create a compelling and uplifting website with a clear focused strategy.
It’s free. Bring your questions and business logos, website and ideas to show our experts. Join in later in the evening for networking over food and drink.
This Thursday 19th Jan, 6pm Cafe Rialto
The Mayor’s Low Carbon Prize
Posted by president on January 10, 2012 under Competitions | Be the First to Comment
The Mayor’s Low Carbon Prize is open for applications from London’s entrepreneurial students with
original ideas to help make the capital the greenest city in the world. We are looking for new ideas that will help redesign the future and contribute to reducing direct carbon emissions from London’s buildings. Students might want to adapt an existing activity, product or service, or have an idea for a new invention.
There is a prize fund of up to £20,000 that will be rewarded to the winners, alongside expert mentoring from an industry leader to help develop the idea for market. A judging panel of experts from industry and academia will be looking for commercially viable options with the potential to make significant carbon reductions and return on investment over a reasonable period of time.
Students need to make the application with the support of an academic mentor and from their HE or FE institution.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 19th February. The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held at London’s Living Room, City Hall in early Spring 2012.
Further information and an application form can be found here <http://www2.lse.ac.uk/
Event this Thursday: Environmental Entrepreneur
Posted by president on January 9, 2012 under Events | Be the First to Comment
Interested in ethical business?
Want to meet a ‘greenpreneur’?
From student to environmental entrepreneur: Neil Jennings
12th January 2012, 6pm, Rialto, RHUL SU
The ‘Student Switch Off’ is a campaign that aims to encourage students to save energy when living in UK University halls of residence. It is run as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company. The campaign runs at 43 universities across the UK and employs 6 full time staff.
The idea for the Student Switch Off came about in October 2005 while Neil Jennings was studying at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia. Neil will be speaking about how to start an ethical business using just your University research – and a green lycra costume…
Attendance is free and you do not need to register – just turn up.
Intern Opportunity with Find Invest Grow
Posted by president on January 6, 2012 under Jobs | Be the First to Comment
Job Title: ESSA Sales Manager
The Role
2011 has been the launch year for www.theessa.com, with sponsorship from RBS, Linkedin, The Independent and led by Find Invest Grow and we’re ready to grow and expand our team in 2012. We’re looking for an ambitious, enthusiastic and sales driven individual to join us at our Wood Lane HQ in London.
The role is a great opportunity to join a core, startup team and help shape our strategy. Already established as a leading entrepreneurial investment business in London, Find Invest Grow is looking for someone to engage with student societies and encourage the up take of the ESSA Awards.
We want you to be enthusiastic about our mission of developing enterprising students and want you to make yourself indispensable to our team. A good sense of humour is essential as is a willingness to learn and pitch in, in all areas of the business.
The role is a commission internship for three months with potential to lead to a full-time role if expectations and targets are met.
Working with the team, the role will lead the ESSA development and sales efforts, calling student societies and will give the successful applicant real experience of working as a front line business development role in a startup environment.
The role is suitable for recent graduates and/or career changers.
For more about our team and our company, please visit
Required Skills
Please apply if:
- You are excited about business, sales, have a good telephone manner and are comfortable calling student societies with the ESSA sales pitch
- You are motivated by the challenge of building and developing student societies
- You are driven; we need someone who isn’t afraid of hard work and who wants to build a successful commercial career
- You are a self-starter. After a period of training and shadowing you will be given a great degree of autonomy to bring student societies into the ESSA Awards scheme
- You have a genuine interest in business and understand why our service is of use to both students and businesses
- You have an enquiring mind – You will be constantly learning and in addition to your commercial responsibilities, you will be assisting with PR and Marketing, Business strategy, Social media and digital media and startup networking events
Please apply by emailing david@findinvestgrow.com with your CV.
