Enterprise Launchpad to support aspiring business owners takes off at Hartpury University

Hartpury has launched a pioneering initiative to help enterprising students turn innovative business ideas into reality.

The Enterprise Launchpad supports Hartpury University and Hartpury College students looking to set up their own business by providing access to professional advice, specialist resources and a network of successful entrepreneurs.

It is located within Hartpury’s Innovation Careers and Enterprise (ICE) Centre (ICE), which supports all aspects of students’ career planning, graduate employability and postgraduate study.

Hartpury is exhibiting the Enterprise Launchpad at this week’s Gloucestershire Business Show, providing students with opportunities to network with members of the South West business community.

Simon Spooner, Enterprise and Careers Manager at Hartpury, said: “Being involved in business either as a leader or an entrepreneur is an incredibly exciting career option. The Enterprise Launchpad gives students the chance to experiment with ideas, develop the necessary skills to start a business or to be a part of an exciting business-relevant project.

“Being at college or university is absolutely the perfect time to take an idea into reality, with dedicated support from both ICE and teaching staff, and connection to a healthy Hartpury and Gloucestershire business network.

“We are surrounded by so much excellence and success at Hartpury, it’s actually quite a brave risk for students to invest time into starting a business that may take many years to realise success in comparison to their fellow students.

“However, the reward and the ability for a student to define their future destination after education is a major appeal, especially as the United Kingdom economy is seeing large growth of SMEs.

“Now is a definitely a really exciting time to be involved in supporting students achieve their business dreams, putting them at the forefront of fresh, new and creative thinking.”

Hartpury is a specialist educational provider located in Gloucestershire with more than 3,600 college and university level students studying postgraduate and undergraduate degrees, PhDs, diplomas in the areas of sport, equine, animal, agriculture and veterinary nursing, and A-levels.