Why I love the Student Enterprise Conference

My name is Mark and I was the HE Delivery Manager at NACUE for nearly two years. My mission? To power the enterprising generation by encouraging students and enterprise societies to seize the opportunities available at university.

The Student Enterprise Conference (SEC) is a great celebration of this. The SEC is an annual event celebrating student entrepreneurs, giving them opportunities to develop skills and networks, whilst having a fun weekend after their (most likely stressful) exams. For me, the SEC provides some of my favourite memories of working with NACUE. The SEC is the only real chance for students from across the country to get together to explore entrepreneurship on such scale. In Liverpool last year, we welcomed over 700 students from Plymouth to St. Andrews - where else would you have the chance to meet so many incredible speakers alongside students from across the UK? Over the years, it has become a great chance to meet up with connections, demonstrated by the number of graduates who attend to see old faces and share their journey. One of my favourite moments of attending the SEC was the Q & A session with Matt Freckleton in 2014, former President of York Entrepreneurs and co-founder of Yatterbox. It was fascinating to hear Matt’s story from building a network through to being bought out - but it was the questions from the audience that really stood out. It was awesome to see so many engaged students asking questions and arranging meetings afterwards

Those of you who attended The SEC 2015 in Liverpool would have got a firm kick up the backside from Tim Barnes of UCL, when he took to the stage impromptu and gained a massive round of applause for his motivational message. That is the kind of magic moment that makes the weekend so special. The buzz and excitement of students meeting with like minded peers, arranging events, meeting exhibitors and swapping contact details really is unmissable. The SEC sends you away with the mindset that anyone can do this! Whether you’re an art, computer science or geography student, there are no barriers to making the most of opportunities, especially while you are in education.

 

If this will be your first time attending the SEC my top tips would be:

  • Take a spare battery pack for your phone (social media + linking up on Linkedin) and a note pad.
  • Opportunity doesn’t often knock twice! Exhibitors, students, speakers or even the NACUE staff might be able to help you with your next step on your journey. You are with these people for one weekend a year, go and ask for an email or even a selfie!
  • Ask the questions you really want the answers to: you are young, ambitious and enterprising, that is hard to say no to, so go with my motto; “Don’t ask, don’t get!”
  • Have fun! It is a celebration after all and you’re much more likely to build new skills and relationships if you are having a good time.
  • Follow up after the event with the contacts you have made to see how you can help each other.

I love the friendly and energised atmosphere of the SEC and I remain in the environment trying to help people on their own journey where I can. I am always reachable on @MrMarkDavies The Student Enterprise Conference 2016 is at UCL in London on 20th-21st February. Find out more and get tickets here.

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  1. Our Impact
  2. Our Mission
  3. Our model

We've achieved a great deal in a short number of years, though there's much more too do in supporting our mission of 'Powering the Enterprise Generation'.

32,000

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Powering the Enterprising Generation

Our mission is to support the development of education and student engagement throughout college and universities by championing student enterprise societies and peer-to-peer learning. NACUE started from an extraordinary movement in student entrepreneurship, providing young individuals with a platform to be experimental, creative and inspiring in their approach to enterprise and entrepreneurship, encouraging a bottom-up approach to inspiring the next generation.


Today, we see over 200 enterprise societies, powered by peer-to-peer groups, who are championing the success of young people throughout their interactive programmes by forging collaborative relationships with their institutions to provide greater experience and development opportunities for their peers. Establishing regional links with locals SME’s who are keen to open their doors to emerging talented, proactive and enthusiastic graduates perpetuates this.


Our work is dedicated to supporting the development and encouragement of entrepreneurship amongst young individuals and forms the sole purpose of NACUE. To learn more about NACUE and the services we produce, click here.

As a not-for-profit, we raise charitable donations that allow us to widen the opportunities available to young people in relation to enterprise and entrepreneurship, strengthening student engagement, the quality of education and connecting and representing student enterprise societies and student entrepreneurs worldwide.

NACUE is a charitable organisation that supports 32,000 students and young people every year. As funding becomes harder to obtain, we rely on the generous support of donors to ensure our programs can continue to change the lives and aspirations of the younger generation.


A donation of any size goes a long way to furthering our work and really is greatly appreciated. Every gift matters in aiding our mission of ‘Powering the Enterprising Generation' but we mainly rely upon the generosity of our members and alumni to do this. By making a single or regular donation you can make a big difference. To learn more about how you can donate, please follow the links below.



 

Large national network

NACUE are delighted to have supported a huge number of student-led societies over the years. You can see the number of established student-led societies on an interactive map below

 

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University
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Who we work with

Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are at the very core of NACUE, everything we do is to better the startup and self employment ecosystem. We believe that entrepreneurs will shape the future, and we bolster this through our events, our network and our advocacy.

Students

NACUE works with students in Colleges and Universities right across the UK, helping support them in their entrepreneurial goals and connect them with like minded peers.

Educators

NACUE works collaboratively with educators and academics in supporting the development of entrepreneurial mindsets in young people.

Our events

Our events offer the young people we work with the opportunity to connect with our wider network, the experts and seasoned entrepreneurs in our community and the chance to be inspired to take the leap of faith into entrepreneurship. These events are attended by students and graduates from universities and colleges up and down the UK, as well as students from across Europe. Student Societies take centre stage at our events, alongside innovators, game changers and trail blazers of the UK startup ecosystem.

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