29 Mar 2019
Venture Crawl 2019 breaks all records
Last week, thirteen universities came together to run the UK’s biggest Venture Crawl.
Eight buses transported 300 students around London on routes designed to stimulate entrepreneurial skills, creative thinking and action.
Universities that took part in the event include King’s College London, UCL, London South Bank University, Brunel University London, The University of Westminster, Loughborough University London, Birkbeck University of London, University of East London, London College of Fashion, The University of Greenwich, City University of London, Regent’s University London and The University of Manchester.
Ben Cole, Stakeholder Development Manager at Loughborough University London, commented: “Every year Venture Crawl really is my best day at work. It’s the day when we turn the entrepreneurial eco-system in London into our classroom and connect the talent from London’s universities to the sector.
“If you are even slightly curious about taking an entrepreneurial route it is the experience to be a part of.”
Entrepreneurship and Innovation MSc student, Thanakorn Vongphaka, commented: “I got involved with the Venture Crawl because I thought it would be an amazing opportunity. I knew that by attending the event I would be able to meet lots of people and get advice from real-life entrepreneurs.”
As part of the tour, Loughborough University London students visited a collaborative workspace called Work Life and met the co-founder of local start-up, ‘The Canvas Tribe’.
Students also visited One Tech and discussed the support that is available for underrepresented tech founders in London. One of their main goals is to double the number of female and BAME-led tech start-ups raising investment through our programmes.
Other spaces included Huckle Tree and WeWork which are coworking spaces for entrepreneurs, start-ups and growing businesses.
Hayley Jones, Student Enterprise Adviser, added: “The Venture Crawl was such an amazing entrepreneurial opportunity. Not only did students get to experience London’s enterprising eco-system first hand, but they also got to network with other like-minded individuals from different backgrounds and Universities.”
“In just one day, students got to see some of London’s very best co-working spaces, incubators/accelerators and companies, and got to hear from investors, mentors and VIP guests.
“They also took part in a business pitching competition. It really is a motivational and inspirational event for any student interested in starting or growing a business!”
The Venture Crawl ended with a celebratory event at Plexal, Here East, and provided an opportunity for students to network with each other and the organisations involved. Students were also invited to take part in a pitching competition to pitch their business idea to a panel of entrepreneurs.
The competition saw Loughborough student, Kate Walker, pitching her business ‘ExpHand’ in front of 300 students and a panel of expert judges.
She said: “Being part of London Venture Crawl has really helped me to see the runway for my business. In just one day I’ve made so many notes, gained expert advice and pitched my business. It’s such an incredible experience that really pushes you forward."
On the night, Kate received the highly commended award for her pitch and continues to receive support for her business from Loughborough Enterprise Network.
Venture Crawl will return again on Wednesday 11 March 2020.
For more information about Venture Crawl and how to get involved in other enterprising events on campus, please follow @lborolondon or search #VentureCrawl on Twitter.
To contact Loughborough Enterprise Network, please email: LEN@lboro.ac.uk.