A student walking in the city

A vibrant community of Entrepreneurs called The Green Room

Join The Green Room and be the first to find out about enterprise opportunities, challenges, competitions, support after graduation while meeting like-minded students.

The Green Room is our enterprise community for students and graduates who are curious about start-ups, freelancing, or building a business. It’s the place to connect with like-minded people, share ideas, and discover what it really takes to turn an idea into something tangible.

The Green Room now exists as both a Microsoft Teams forum and a LinkedIn group, giving you two ways to get involved:

By being part of this engaging community, you’ll be among the first to hear about enterprise opportunities, competitions, and funding calls. You’ll also stay up to date with challenges, networking events, and practical support designed to help you at every stage of your journey — from first idea to flourishing start-up, and beyond graduation.

Why join?

When starting your business you need more than just a good idea. You need contacts, recognition, funding opportunities, and a community of people who understand your journey. The Green Room is designed to provide all of this in one place. As part of the community you’ll:

  • Discover events, resources, competitions, and useful information to help you get your ideas off the ground.
  • Connect with peers and alumni who share your interest in enterprise.
  • Access practical support and guidance to help move your idea forward.

Join exciting enterprise competitions

Have a great business idea and want to prove it? A number of UK and international organisations offer business awards and competitions which enable you to compete for financial prizes and support. Competitions are a great way to get involved with enterprise and to test your skills. They provide you with a platform to demonstrate your business idea, an opportunity for invaluable feedback from industry experts and a chance to gain a better understanding of what it will take to make your idea a successful one.

You will be required to demonstrate a wide range of employability skills such as:

  • Innovation and creativity
  • Marketing and promotion
  • Research and development
  • Financial awareness
  • Presentation skills.

Don’t miss out: ‘test the market’ and take advantage of the large number of national business competitions which run throughout the year and take part in student competitions

Take part in our enterprise programmes

The Green Room also signposts you to programmes that give structure and support to your entrepreneurial journey like Design Your Future: A 10-week programme with expert input, workshops, and a pitching competition with prizes of up to £4,000. Includes funding to register your business with Companies House and apply for seed funding.

Discover support after graduation

Your enterprise journey doesn’t stop when you graduate. Through The Green Room, you can access the Enterprise Start-Up Fund, join the Design Your Future programme, and take part in short courses, masterclasses, and national competitions. The LinkedIn community keeps you connected with peers and opportunities, while the monthly newsletter ensures you never miss funding calls, events, or advice to help your ideas grow.

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