Did you know that in 2021, the University of Nottingham was second in the UK for graduate start-ups, with a combined turnover of nearly £160m and investment raised totalling almost £70m?
Students and alumni can explore their entrepreneurial ideas and start their own business at the university’s start-up hub, the Ingenuity Lab, which is based at the Ingenuity Centre on Jubilee Campus.
Our ambition is to create an innovative community of entrepreneurs, working together to develop ideas, encourage radical innovation and produce exciting new start-ups.
How to become a member
Membership is free and open to all at the university. There are two types of membership and all you need to do is complete the online form.
Venture membership
Venture membership is for those who are interested in starting a business, or already have a business. As a Venture Member you can benefit from:
- our seminars and advisory surgeries
- mentoring from business experts
- funding opportunities and internship scheme
You will need to provide a business summary as part of your application.
Academic membership
Academic membership is for those at the start of their entrepreneurial journey.
It provides access to monthly Ingenuity Lab seminars and events - helping you build your knowledge as you think about what kind of business you’d like to start.
It does not include our one-to-one support and no business plan summary is required for this membership.
Here are four ways in which the Ingenuity Lab can help you realise your entrepreneurial ambitions and turn your ideas into a viable business.
1. Expert advice from business mentors
Members of the Ingenuity Lab are able to access mentoring, advice and expertise from a host of experienced business professionals and Entrepreneurs in Residence at the Lab.
Topics of expertise include finance, marketing, intellectual property and business law.
The Ingenuity Lab has a special kind of energy of creativity, innovation, optimism and collaboration. As an Entrepreneur in Residence, I love supporting the Lab Members as the magic happens.
Entrepreneur in Residence Nickie Elenor, Founder, Guardian Law
2. Desk space
One of the perks of being an Ingenuity Lab member is having a physical base for your business on Jubilee Campus.
Not only does this give you an address to register your business at, but our bright and modern open-plan office space provides a perfect location to answer emails, work on your business plan and network with like-minded fellow entrepreneurs.
The Ingenuity Lab is an amazing place with brilliant people, and a friendly working environment that brings out the best in me and my business.
Yudan Deng, Follow the Orient
3. Pitch to win
At the core of our events programme is our pitching competition, Pitch to Win.
Pitch to Win offers Lab members the chance to present their business idea to an expert panel for the chance to win a top prize of £1,000 and receive detailed feedback on their presentation skills and business idea.
It was a fantastic experience to be a part of this year's Pitch to Win competition. Having the chance to gain real-world practice and receive feedback from a panel of experienced judges was incredibly valuable and encouraging. It was nice to hear words of encouragement and support - winning first prize came as a bit of a shock!
Connor Graham, Mint Personal Finance
4. Grow your business
Our accelerator programme, Scale, is designed for Lab members who are ready to take their business to the next level.
Scale helps to ensure Lab members’ businesses are viable, innovative and scalable, with online seminars running throughout the summer and mentoring from business experts.
We had a different mentor for each week of the Scale programme, and this allowed us to acquire a range of advice from experienced mentors that have expertise in different sectors. We have benefited from being able to view our business from areas that we hadn’t initially taken the time to look at before.
Izzie Hurst, Dopplle