In this 125th anniversary year of the founding of Royal Holloway by a Victorian entrepreneur, the first Thomas Holloway Entrepreneurship Lecture will examine the career path two entrepreneurs followed upon leaving University. Nick Wheeler, a Geography graduate, will explain how he turned a student hobby and £7,000 into Charles Tyrwhitt, a major international fashion brand, giving him a personal worth of over £30m. David Hathirami, a Computer Science graduate, will describe how he built the internet upstart, A Suit That Fits.
Hosted by Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs and the School of Management.
All welcome. Admission free. No booking necessary. Followed by a wine reception in the Windsor Building Foyer.
In case you’ve missed the amazing talk by Ry Morgan from PleaseCycle last Thursday, we’ve decided to put up the slides together with the Podcast so that you don’t have to feel left out.
Psychologists from the University of London have designed a scientific test of entrepreneurialism. Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook and is now worth over $4billion. To what extent do you notice and exploit bountiful opportunities? Find out how you rate:
What could the future have in store for you?
Take our short, 10-minute test to find out. Simply answer some demographic questions, and then rate your agreement with some statements.
Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs sent off a selected team of ten students to compete in the national Million Makers competition.
Million Makers is a national campaign to raise the £1million towards the £40 million this year that The Prince’s Trust needs to continue its work with some of the most disadvantaged young people across the UK.
Take a minute to meet our team and when you see them around campus, you can support them, their projects and the cause.
Cristina Lopez Stahlie
Hello there my fellow businessmen and women!! My name is Cristina Lopez Stahlie and it is my first year here at Royal Holloway. I currently live in Madrid, and have recently graduated from Leysin American School in Switzerland. I am currently a foundation student, studying psychology, economics and business and wish to continue studying psychology at Royal Holloway for my undergraduate degree. Through being part of the Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs committee, I currently hold the role of project director,and saw it as an opportunity to take a lead and generate business opportunities for both students and myself. As projects director, I took on the Million Makers project as I saw it as a challenge for myself and thought it would appeal to others as I feel it is a good opportunity to delegate as a team, take on roles and responsibilities and raise money for a worthwhile cause. As director of this project, I have taken on the role of the secretary to ensure that the team meets regularly, and co-ordinate the events to make sure all actions from our weekly meetings are implemented. I so far have found the competition very exciting, and feel that I am working with a very motivated and dedicated team.
Art Ophat Manosilapakorn
My name is Art Ophat Manosilapakorn. I am currently pursuing my MBA in International Management (Marketing). My main responsibility on the Million Makers Team is in the area of Public Relation and Marketing communication. Personally, I am passionate about the entrepreneur field and always on the lookout for humanitarian projects. Prior to my postgraduate studies, I worked in the health care and biotechnology industries. Being chosen to represent Royal Holloway in the Million Makers project is truly a great honour. Additionally, by working for charity I will be exposed to personal challenges and experiences that I would not have otherwise encountered. I also enjoy meeting open-minded people and make new friends.
Jean-Paul Talamoni
My name is Jean- Paul Talamoni. I am 19, half French and half Italian and currently studying in Royal Holloways UFP programme, studying Business, Economics and Mathematics and wish to continue studying Management and Mathematics at undergraduate level. I joint Million Makers as a challenge for myself as well as work within a team. The competition instantly appealed to me as very challenging and interesting, and I’ve found myself working with people from many different cultural backgrounds with different opinions. I saw Million Makers as a great opportunity to test my business acumen and raise money for charity.
Olivia Brocklebank-Fowler
My name is Olivia Brocklebank-Fowler, I’m 18 years old and I’m from London. I Joined Royal Holloway this year and am studying BA History which is good so far! I decided to join the ‘Million Makers Team’ because I’m very interested in business and how it works and may potentially want to follow a similar sort of career. Another reason for joining is because we are working for charity, a good cause, and I believe it will be very satisfying to see our hard work make a positive contribution to amazing work of the Princes Trust. The competition not only offers these given benefits but less obvious ones such as developing teamwork skills and meeting new people. On top of all of this if we raise the most money overall, there are many exciting sort of prizes such as 3 weeks work experience with a top corporate firm! The role I’m going to be taking specifically within the team concerns Public Relations. I volunteered for the role because I am a good communicator and am confident enough to approach people and get my point across effectively (hopefully!). I think I can contribute a lot to the team as I am bright, full of ideas and am good at identifying what consumers are missing (I can be quite skeptical myself) and therefore understanding what sort of events would be successful, worthwhile and fun. I am really excited about this competition and the plans we have already come up with and can’t wait to see what the result is!
Mina Le Vigoureux
My name is Mina Le Vigoureux , I am 18 years old and from France. I currently study Business, Economics and Media in Royal Holloway’s foundation programme and I am working with the team as PR officer. As I also wish to continue studying media in university, I thought this competition would be a good opportunity to gain experience with public relations and publicity of which I believe could be applied in future. I personally wanted to join the Million Makers team because I enjoy challenges, organizing events and working as a team. I also think it’s wonderful to support The Princes Trust and help young people in need.
Brian Donatiello
Hello, I am Brian Donatiello and hold the treasurer position on the team which involves financial control, record keeping and cash flow monitoring which is vital to the success of the project. I am currently studying in Royal Holloway’s foundation programme, in the following courses: mathematics, psychology, English and drama. As I am highly experienced in the economic field, I am very familiar with accounting processes and business in general, as I have an accountant high school diploma I really understand how to approach the competition from the economic perspective, applying my knowledge from my five years of studying economics, and now business. I decided to join Million makers to challenge myself, and work with a team under a strict time frame. I also admire how the overall outcome will be donated to charity, which has given me the enthusiasm to motivate the team and myself. In addition, I feel that this is already an amazing opportunity for future work experience, and a huge opportunity to learn from others as well as myself to apply in the work place in future. I feel the challenge itself is seen as beneficial to everybody in the team, especially as we are helping people in need. I am honored to represent Royal Holloway in this competition.
Xiaorui Wang (Tina)
I come from Beijing, China. I am currently a Pre-Master student in Royal Holloway International Management, and will study MBA International Management next year. I like sports, so I am a team member of RHUL BEARS Badminton. As a fan of Latin dancing, I joined RHUL Balads (Royal Holloway’s Ballroom and Latin American Dancing Society). Being a member the team of “Million Maker”, I am currently a PR officer on the Million Makers team of which involves research into local media opportunities, as well as distributing and delivering publicity materials.
Michal Porvaznik
My name is Michal Porvaznik and I am 18 years old student from Slovakia. Currently, I am studying at Royal Holloway University of London’s Foundation Programme. As for my role in the team, I am occupied with creating ideas for persuading people to take part in our project at the moment. I joined the team mostly because I like to get involved and spend my time creatively for the right purposes. I am student of mathematics and I believe that my analytical skills can contribute to the success of the team. I hope that this competition will improve my skills in multiple domains, especially teamwork.
Elizabeth Tanya
Hi my name is Elizabeth and I am currently studying the UFP in Royal Holloway. My responsibilities on the Million Makers team are to assist the secretary in keeping record of all information. I am also responsible in compiling proposals and business as plans as well as proofreading and overseeing all documentation before presentations and final draft completion. Helping the community has always been a passion of mine, and I believe this competition gives me the perfect opportunity to do so. I also believe that being a part of this project is playing a part in helping change and influence young lives. Giving one person an opportunity can influence the lives of many generations.
Last Thursday, we saw a lot of amazing pitches at our Dragons’ Den, but in the end, only one could win. The jury had a hard time choosing the best pitch, but after a long deliberation chose Louis Mech, with his VEO Eyewear pitch.
We’d like to thank everyone who entered, and we hope that you all take your idea further, even if you didn’t win our Dragons’ Den.
Let me now let Louis present his idea:
My name is Louis Mech and I am a third year management student, however more interestingly I am also the founder of VEO a social enterprise sunglasses brand. Every time someone purchases a set of VEO sunglasses, VEO donates a pair of Adjustable Eyewear to a person in need. As I am sure few people will know what Adjustable Eyewear is, let me just take a moment to explain the incredible/bizarre/very fun invention. Adjustable Eyewear was created by Professor Josh Silver as a way of distributing prescription eyewear to people in some of the most remote parts of the world, where optometrists do not exist. These somewhat Harry Potteresque glasses have syringes on the side, and with a few simple twists the recipient then has working prescription eyewear. Once they have found their prescription the person then simply cuts off the syringes and then has normal working prescription glasses.
I was very excited to win the RHUL Dragons’ Den, as last year I entered the RHUL Mini Grants competition and lost. So this summer I worked hard to further develop the business and refine my pitch. I guess all the hard work paid off.
VEO is going to use the £1000 prize money to purchase its first 50 sunglasses. We are going to sell 10 sunglasses to prove that the business model is viable, and that VEO does what it says it is going to do, that being donating the adjustable eyewear to people in need. We have two verbal commitments for magazine articles, so we will be sending them both 5 pairs of sunglasses so that they can do their photo shoots. The last 30 sunglasses will be used as samples for retail stores.
I would like to say thank you again to Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs for helping me develop my idea and a big thank you for the RHUL Dragons’ Den prize money that has allowed me to get VEO off the ground. Also may I say if any one likes what VEO is doing or would like to learn more about the social issue that is refractive error please go to our website at veoeyewear.com , join our facebook group by simply searching ‘VEO Eyewear’ or follow us on twitter at ‘VEO4eyes’. Ghandi famously said “an eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind” VEO says “glasses for glasses so the whole world will see, THAT’S THE VEO PROMISE”.
Want the chance to work with the likes of Peter Jones from Dragons Den or Lily Allen? Want to make your CV stand out and gain some great work experience in some of the hottest start-ups and small businesses from around the world? If you’ve answered “Yes” then Enternships.com is for you! We have hundreds of exciting roles available all year round which in the past have included the opportunity to work with high-profile entrepreneurs & celebrities.
Did you know that you can also work for a start-up alongside your studies…intrigued? Then check out this Business Development Partner role in the fast-growing internet start-up 1Eat: http://bit.ly/c8nqRT Or you can view all the current roles here: http://bit.ly/cNzy3Y
Follow us on Twitter (@enternships), sign up for our newsletter and join our group on Facebook to make sure you stay in the know about the latest opportunities on offer!
It’s that time of the year again, everyone is slowly getting ready for yet another year of university life.
Freshers’ Week
We want to make Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs even better this year and a first step of doing so is getting more people involved. More students mean bigger events, bigger speakers and many more great things. So if you’re interested in Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs, we’re looking for students that would be willing to help us out spreading the word around campus during freshers’ week.
So if you can spare as little as one hour during freshers’ to help out, please drop Luka an E-mail at president AT royalhollowayentrepreneurs.com and get involved!
Gaboom on Dragons’ Den
Jess Ratcliffe will be trying to swap a part of her startup Gaboom for more investment on the BBC television program Dragons’ Den this upcoming Monday at 21:00, so make sure your DVR is set to record!
If you don’t know what Gaboom is all about, I recommend that you check out http://gaboom.co.uk.
More information about the TV episode can be found on the BBC Website.
If you were at our Start It! University Entrepreneurs talk with Hermione Way, you probably remember the video she showed titled: Social Media Revolution.
Now, the original one dates back to 2008, however, these numbers have obviously changed.
We are pleased to announce that the Royal Holloway Apprentice teams raised a grand total of £1276 in aid of The Prince’s Trust last week. Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs ran an Apprentice style competition on campus for one week, giving six teams a £50 budget and the opportunity to run small-scale companies. The winning team Dynasti Entertainment successfully raised a total of £447.45 making more than third of the total profits. They engaged in different fund raising activities from kick up competitions to wet sponge throwing!
When asked about their biggest challenge, Dynasti said that they would’ve wished a better co-operation of the SU. However, they were surprised to find a student body that was willing to help Charity. “… when they heard this was for charity, their pockets opened up, greatly.”
When we asked the team leader about his main motivation for raising money, he said that he hopes that the money raised “would help someone to achieve something, a better lifestyle.”
“We learned that there are a lot of challenges, and a lot of setbacks, which can hinder you from achieving your goal, but if you’re persistent enough, you can achieve what you set out to do.”
Dynasti also would like to thank all of the students for their support and all the other teams for their help in raising money for the Princes Trust.
Team Veritas proposed an unusual business concept based on a model featured in the best-selling Freakonomics, enabling consumers to pay the price they wish to pay. Veritas set up a stall selling bags of sweets and left a voluntary moneybox requesting for £1 per bag.
After encountering difficulties team Enigma successfully ran an event on Saturday evening taking on the challenge to mimic Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. The Chocolate Makers looked to provide campus with an endless supply of chocolate fountain and an assortment of marshmallows and strawberries. Team MATT-MC-ABE took it on them-selves to establish a company that had an ethical stances selling RHUL student’s unwanted clothing. There was such a great response to this company that students are requesting Team MATT-MC-ABE to continue selling second hand clothing on campus. We will have to watch this space! Last but by no means least, team Universal came second closely following Dynasti making £350 selling Krispy Kremes around campus.
The “Margaret and Nick” mentors from Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs, Francesca Chant and Jess Ratcliffe want to thank all the teams for working so hard for the society and the Prince’s Trust.
Although the week is over The Apprentice prize giving event will be held during Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs’ closing event in Founders’ Main Lecture Theatre (MLT) on the 25th of March. The guest speaker is the society’s Founding Patron Sir Alec Reed CBE. Also attending will be Enterprise Rent-a-Car, the event sponsor, and a representative from The Prince’s Trust. Along with awarding our winners with their prizes, a further team will be awarded for the most original and creative idea, which will be announced on the night. This event should be a really great evening also offering networking opportunities with everyone involved.
The Apprentice launched by the Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs has been a great success raising a grand total of £1276 for the Princes Trust Charity.
I would like to congratulate all the teams for their hard work and commitment to the competition.
So, now the thing you all have been waiting for…. the results!
Dynasti with a total of £447.45
Dynasti decided to create different fun daily projects from wet sponge throwing to football and fashions quiz’s.
Universal
Universal sold a variety of products on campus catering to all students needs.
Matt-MC-ABE
This team sold second hand clothes on campus.
ENIGMA
Ran an entertainment event on campus.
VERITAS
Veritas sold small bags of sweets around campus and provided honesty boxes inviting students to pay what they wanted for the sweet packets. This team wanted to test the honesty of Royal Holloway Students.
The Chocolate Makers
The Chocolate Makers ran a chocolate fountain in the Bedford Library.
Congratulations again to Dynasti, and to all the other teams too, you all at least DOUBLED! your investment in just a week! That’s some real entrepreneurial spirit!
I would also like to thank Francesca and Jess for mentoring and organizing most of the event.
We hope to see all of the teams, and everyone else who has been following our events, for our big end of the year event / ceremony next Thursday (25th of March) with Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs’ Founding Patron Professor Alec Reed CBE.
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