Download the UCL Advances 5 year review booklet

5Our first
years

Contents
Foreword from UCL President and Provost 5
Introduction from UCL’s Vice-Provost (Enterprise) 7
Overview from UCL Advances’ Director 9
UCL Advances’ activities 11
UCL Advances by numbers 13
An amazing 48 hours for UCL Advances 15
Directory of programmes 17
Our first five years 29
Entrepreneurial alumni 48
Press coverage 50
Our team 54
Planned UCL Advances Programmes 56
Partners and Funders 57
UCL is committed to:
becoming a global leader in
enterprise and open innovation,
supporting and promoting
effective knowledge exchange,
entrepreneurship and
collaboration with commercial
and social enterprises.
Key Strategic Aims
UCL Council White Paper, 2011–2021

“The UCL Bright Ideas Award
equipped us not only with
the capital we needed to get
to the next step, but gave us
access to some of the fantastic
opportunities available for small
businesses at UCL, such as
HELO and the SMILE network. We
are exceptionally grateful to UCL
for providing our business with
the support we need to succeed
in an ever-competitive market.
I would strongly recommend
that all entrepreneurs consider
applying to the Bright Ideas
Award, as it will prove to be
a great learning opportunity
regardless of the outcome.”
Raoul Tawadey, CEO and Founder, Circalit,
and 2011 Bright Ideas Winner (Natural Sciences, BSc, 2009)
4

Foreword from UCL
President and Provost
Professor Malcolm Grant
UCL President and Provost
Staff, students and alumni at UCL have an
outstanding record of academic achievement,
often developing new innovations that
have gone on to transform society, be it in
medicine, technology or social development.
Many of these incredible accomplishments
could not be achieved without the backing of
a university that works hard to engender an
atmosphere of entrepreneurial activity and
support for enterprise.
The impact Small and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs) have on the UK’s economy is
considerable. They currently account for more
than 99% of businesses in the UK and generate
almost 50% of total private sector turnover,
making it vital for UCL to work with this element
of the economy. SMEs are currently facilitating
many of the technological and innovative
advances that are already prominent in our
daily lives, and so for UCL to be working with
these businesses puts us at the forefront of
innovation, and feeds back into much of
our research.
The entrepreneurial history of UCL is
impressive. Notable alumni range from
Edwin Waterhouse, one of the founders of
Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Colin Chapman
of Lotus Cars, Andrew Jacobs of Giraffe
Restaurants, and Nadhim Zahawi of YouGov,
and the current cohort of students are set to
continue UCL’s enterprising tradition. Promoting
entrepreneurial ventures is a key priority at UCL,
and we encourage our students to develop
their ideas throughout their degree and beyond.
Over the last five years, UCL Advances has
developed our support for the next generation
of entrepreneurs, helping them secure finance,
training and connections to networks they need
to start and prosper. Despite the economic
climate, our students have managed to secure
loans and funding for their business ideas and
have gone on to have great financial success.
This is indicative not only of the strength of
their planning and perseverance, but of UCL’s
dedication to innovation and enterprise.
UCL Advances has done much in its first
five years to build upon the heritage of
entrepreneurship that has been so well
established, building valuable links with local
companies and potential investors, as well as
supporting students throughout the early stages
of their business endeavours. This enables
students to seamlessly make the transition from
university to business, and leave UCL equipped
with a wealth of knowledge and guidance
to draw upon. It also helps existing small
businesses from outside of UCL to make the
journey inwards, benefitting our core mission
of research-led teaching and maximising the
impact UCL’s capability can have in society.
It is my pleasure to introduce this five year
review of UCL Advances, and I look forward
to its continued success.
5

“The UCL Advances Hatchery
is a fantastic environment
for student start-ups, where
advice and support is at
hand whenever it might
be required. This is critical
at the early stages when
companies are experiencing
rapid changes and growth
for the first time.”
Chester Mojay-Sinclare
Founder, Charity Checkout (Philosophy, BA, 2011)
6

Introduction from UCL’s
Vice-Provost (Enterprise)
Professor Stephen Caddick
Vice-Provost (Enterprise)
Since its foundation in 2007, UCL Advances
has been a pioneer among UK universities.
Having established itself as a national leader
in the field of entrepreneurship, it forms part
of the aptly named UCL Enterprise, and has
continued to propel UCL to the forefront of
entrepreneurial activity within the UK’s Higher
Education sector.
Over the past five years, major projects such
as the university-business collaboration
initiative HELO and business mentoring
scheme SMILE have enabled UCL Advances
to cater to a broader audience than ever
before, whilst encouraging entrepreneurship in
every corner of UCL. Would-be entrepreneurs
from disciplines as diverse as archaeology,
philosophy, geography, science and
technology studies, mechanical engineering
and brain sciences have flourished under
the guidance of UCL Advances’ business
advisors, indicative of the increasing
communication between UCL Advances
and the entire academic spectrum at UCL.
The immediate impact made by UCL
Advances extends to a multitude of
universities, start-ups and SMEs across
London, as well as schools in local
communities. Beyond London, the
development of partnerships between
Advances and enterprises such as Goldman
Sachs, NACUE, Santander and Microsoft
have been fundamental in creating a status
that is recognised across the UK. Many of the
operations UCL Advances is now involved in
have also created global connections, such
as the China UK Challenge and a Fulbright
scholarship in entrepreneurship, indicative
of its evolution in the last five years and
appropriate for a university such as UCL with
a global reputation.
With exciting new projects in the pipeline such
as the digital enterprise support initiative UCL
DECIDE (Digital Enterprise: Collaborative
Innovation, Development and Evaluation),
the world’s largest ‘living lab’ for media and
digital start-ups, there is much to be looking
forward to over the coming years. As more
UCL students take advantage of the array
of services provided by UCL Advances, we
will continue to adapt to meet their needs
and transform the way students engage with
business and society.
The transformation of UCL Advances from an
idea, the first of its kind in the UK, to a globally
recognised leader in entrepreneurship could
not have been achieved without the hard
work of the UCL Advances team, and I would
like to thank them for their commitment and
dedication over the past five years.
7

Of 25 participants in
the first cohort of the
London Goldman Sachs
10,000 Small Businesses
Programme, three offered
internships to UCL
students, one has applied
for a KTP with UCL and 14
have taken mentors from
the SMILE programme.
8

Overview from UCL
Advances’ Director
Timothy Barnes
Director, UCL Advances
UCL Advances is the centre for
entrepreneurship and business interaction
at UCL. Its primary role is to promote a
culture of entrepreneurship on campus and
engagement with entrepreneurs and small
businesses beyond UCL’s boundaries. It
began in August 2007 as a sister unit to the
new academic department of Management
Science and Innovation (MS&I).
The development of the two units was
a response to the observation that after
many years of effort, UCL was improving its
performance in working with established,
larger businesses, but was still struggling to
engage effectively with entrepreneurs, small
and medium-sized businesses. The changes
were intended to produce a new atmosphere
in which entrepreneurship would be welcomed
and UCL would be set on the path to a global
leadership role, in keeping with its status as
one of the world’s top universities.
The development of the two units was led
by Prof Steve Currall, head of department
for MS&l; Prof Bernard Buxton, Dean of
Engineering; Prof Mike Spyer, Vice-Provost
(Enterprise); and Dr David Chapman,
Director of the Centre for Enterprise and the
Management of Innovation, a pre-cursor to
the new activities.
Other universities were experiencing many
of the same problems in understanding and
delivering on the needs of smaller entities,
but UCL’s response was unique. Framed by
UCL’s location in London and partnership
with the London Business School in place of
its own business-focused academic activity,
UCL elected to focus on academic research
through MS&I and support for entrepreneurs
inside and outside of UCL through
UCL Advances.
Inspiration for UCL Advances was drawn
from a variety of sources including the
Technology Ventures programme at Stanford
University and the Rice Alliance at Rice
University in Texas. I am a UCL alumnus and
was recruited from the private sector to lead
UCL Advances from its launch and reshape
these ideas for a British educational and
entrepreneurship context.
In 2009, UCL Advances moved from within
UCL’s Faculty of Engineering to become
a unit of UCL Enterprise, underlining its
role in servicing the needs of all of UCL’s
entrepreneurs, whatever faculty and
department they might be affiliated to. It helps
to push out new entrepreneurial ventures and
pull in external new businesses that could
benefit form UCL’s skills, talent and know-how.
9

24 directly employed
members of full
and part time staff
supported by eight
associate staff, who
help deliver over 30
activity programmes.
10

UCL Advances’ activities
UCL Advances provides three types of
service to each of its audience groups of staff,
students and external businesses.
It is critical to our unique model that we
undertake each of the services for all three
of the audiences. By pushing out evenly in
all directions, we have been able to establish
economies and additional benefits for those we
work with that would not have been possible if
we delivered only a sub-set of activities.
The three service areas are:
Networking
Bringing entrepreneurs, academics, students,
funders, businesses, policy makers and
the media together, in order to foster new
relationships that might lead to
new businesses.
Training
For staff, students and existing external small
businesses and entrepreneurs, suitable for the
separate stages of early company development
from idea generation to accelerating growth of
revenue generating businesses. This helps to
address the skills requirements of start-ups.
Support
Providing direct business support, through
assistance with finance, space provision, advice
and problem solving for internal and external
new businesses.
This review covers our first five years and has
been produced as a record of past activities
and a guide to future plans.
UCL Advances has grown almost eight-fold in
its first five years, from four to 32 full and affiliate
staff. It has demonstrated sustained value to the
university, entrepreneurs and the UK economy,
and, in doing so, has been transformed from an
experiment in university-entrepreneur relations
into a model that is inspiring other universities
around the world.
11

UCL Advances delivered
2,500+ places on student
programmes in 2011/12
with a target of 4,000 pa.
by the end of 2014/15.
12

UCL Advances by numbers
Cumulative funding agreed for UCL Advances activities
2007 2010 2012
£600,000 £3,200,000 £7,000,000
Cumulative E-Challenge participants
2007 2012
2,000 5,000
UCL Advances mailing list
2007 2010 2012
100 2,500 5,500
UCL Advances Twitter followers
2007 2010 2012
0 300 3,000
Staff numbers
2007 2010 2012
3.8 10 32
Student activity places provided annually by UCL Advances
2007 2012 2016 (target)
500 2,500 7,500
External small companies engaged with each year
2007 2012 2016 (target)
0 300 500
Student companies supported actively each year
2007 2012 2016 (target)
10 50 125
13

An amazing 48 hours for
UCL Advances
One weekend in October was to be an
incredible success story for UCL Advances.
Here Timothy Barnes feeds back to the UCL
Advances team as events unfolded.
October 8, 2012
02:56 The foundations for promoting entrepreneurship
and for embedding enterprise across UCL are now
in place. We are already delivering life-changing
opportunities and world-changing businesses. Now is
the time to build on our successes.
09:45 UCL nurtures, supports and links the best
and brightest talent. That’s why I was delighted
to hear that in this same weekend, former Bright
Ideas Award winner, Chester Mojay-Sinclare,
raised a six-figure sum for his business,
Charity Checkout, after being connected with
angel investors through UCL alumnus Andrew
Jacobs, the founder of Giraffe restaurants.
19:24 I met those guys on the Sunday. That evening, the standout
success of the last two weeks was on our screens as part of BBC2’s
Dragon’s Den. Old Bond Ltd, the brainchild of Politics PhD student
Art Stavenka, 26, and his business partner Kiryl Chykeyuk, a DPhil
student at Oxford University, were awarded £90,000 in investment from
Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden. They too had won a Bright Ideas
Award and have had support from business advisor Lillian Shapiro.
15
12:21 The entrepreneurs and small businesses
which we work so hard to support have had
some tremendous successes, and show why
marrying talented students and small business
owners with the very best in advice, support and
funding from our nation’s best universities is so
important.
A great 48 hours
48
Timothy Barnes,
Director of UCL Advances
18: 45 Through the undertaking of the programme, Joel has reaped
the benefits that being part of the UCL community can provide –
wider business support and helping set him up with an intern from
UCL being just two examples. Being part of this community is why
Joel, when he saw Jive Bike’s stand, worked out they were from
UCL, went over to say hello, offered support and tweeted about it.
14:42 I’ve recently returned from the Conservative Party
conference. Aside from the presence of the Prime Minister
and an opportunity to showcase UCL’s work in driving
innovation and growth from the bottom up, what was most
inspiring was seeing two very different businesses attracting
floods of interest – both supported by UCL Advances.
17:01 The winner of last year’s London
Entrepreneurs’ Challenge, Jive Bike, were
there with a physical prototype for the world’s
first carbon fibre, folding, electric bike. Their
demonstration wowed conference attendees,
including MPs and regular party members
who represent the country as a whole.
Marcin, the founder, ended up with a stack of
business cards and made valuable contacts.
17: 32 Yet most surprising was the occupier of the stand next to his.
The Cloud – a pop-up spa concept led by Joel Sutton – was one of
the businesses which have taken part the first London cohort of
the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme, delivered
by UCL Advances. I had no idea they would be there.

“It really has been a phenomenal
year for Teachus. From running
the Summer Schools to being
invited to sit on the Government
Summer School Committee –
all seems quite surreal. It would
have been impossible without
the support of Advances. So a
huge thank you to you all.”
Jay Ruparelia
Co-Founder, Teachus (Statistics, BSc, 2007)
16

Directory of
programmes
The breadth of activities undertaken at UCL Advances can be seen
here in a directory of our current projects. Our Student Ventures
Programme encompasses a host of schemes to help familiarise
students with the world of business and prepare them for their
exploration of entrepreneurship. Training and networking activities
are also geared toward researchers and business professionals,
uniting students with those who can help them launch successful
careers. As well as activities provided exclusively by UCL Advances,
there are a number of programmes that run in conjunction with
a variety of external partners. These help to foster networking
opportunities, and there are many occasions where students can
enter both national and international competitions that will enable
them to boost their entrepreneurial profiles.
For researchers and businesses, the projects run by UCL Advances
are an ideal opportunity to take advantage of the pool of talent
available at UCL. Excellent relationships have been forged through
Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) and Knowledge Exchange
Associate (KEA) programmes, and are mutually beneficial for
businesses and students alike.
A variety of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) options are
available for those wishing to gain certification in a particular aspect
of business management, and are all run through UCL Advances’
training centre. Guest lectures, boot camps and Technology
Innovation Forums add to the variety of programmes on offer, to
cater for all requirements and interests.
Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
Our programmes
cover a wide range
of disciplines and
areas of activity.
Each project has
a key indicating
the areas of activity
and the type
of service UCL
Advances provides.
17

Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
(Ad)Ventures
(Ad)Ventures is a dining club that brings together those
who founded a company during their time at UCL
(as a student or a staff member) with those currently
starting up a business whilst at UCL. Experience and
wisdom will be shared to help foster the current group of
UCL entrepreneurs.
Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
BizSpark
BizSpark is an innovative programme that unites startups
with entrepreneurial and technology resources in a
global community with a common goal of supporting and
accelerating the success of a new generation of highpotential
start-ups. BizSpark provides fast, easy access
to current full-featured Microsoft development tools and
production licenses of server products, professional
technical support from Microsoft, and connections to a
global community of business experts who can help guide
you through the hurdles of growing your business.
When start-ups enter into the BizSpark programme,
they are included on the online start-ups directory
MicrosoftStartupZone, given access to a united, global
community of support resources, and connected with
Network Partners who will manage their participation.
UCL Advances has joined with BizSpark and are able
to support start-ups as their network partner.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/support/bizspark
18

China UK
Challenge
The Challenge consists of two
strands: firstly, the Tomorrow’s
Leaders Track revolves around
student-led business idea
entries. This encourages
current students and recent
graduates to explore new,
international ventures.
Secondly is the Innovative Business Track. This is for
non-university business idea entries which would facilitate
already established businesses to look into growth areas,
new products and services.
The China UK Entrepreneurship Competition aims to
encourage new business ventures between China and the
United Kingdom and is intended to simulate the real-world
process of entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from
early-stage investors and venture capital firms.
Find out more at: www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/support/
competitions/advances/support/chinaukchallenge
Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
Young people found
that they had gained
“a big interest
in business.”
Citrus Saturday
Citrus Saturday, developed with inspiration from the
nationwide project Lemonade Day in the US, has been
set up to encourage entrepreneurial skills in young people
and help them gain confidence in a working environment.
Using a handbook called ‘How to be an entrepreneur’,
pupils at local schools and youth groups were mentored
by UCL students and then went on to market and sell their
lemonade in prime locations across central London.
At the first event run in London in 2011, over £1,200
worth of lemonade was sold by 28 participants serving
from just eight stalls. Now in its second year of running
in London, the Citrus Saturday initiative has spread to
Edinburgh, Dublin and Somerset, and has been met with
an enthusiastic response.
OpenInnovation
Collaborate To Innovate
When asked what they had learned from taking part in
Citrus Saturday, young people found that they had gained
“a big interest in business,” and one participant had
“learned to be an entrepreneur and how to create my
business.” One mentor had learned that with improved
communication within teams, “anything is possible.”
Find out more at: www.citrussaturday.org
Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
OpenInnovation
Collaborate To Innovate
19

Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
CleanTech
Challenge
The CleanTech Challenge (CTC) is a student competition
jointly hosted by London Business School and UCL that
was launched in 2009.
The competition is a unique platform through which
students can bring innovative clean technology ideas
from the concept phase to a stage in which they could
realistically expect to attract funding or be self-sustainable.
Over 100 top business and technical/science schools are
invited to participate and ten finalist teams are selected to
compete in live ‘Boot Camp’ finals in London for £10,000.
There are more than 200 ideas submitted to the challenge
every year, and previous winners have included MBA,
PhD and Masters students from locations as diverse as
Germany, Sweden, China and the United States.
Find out more at: www.cleantechnologychallenge.com
Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
Communicating
Science to
Business
This is a series of three workshops, focussing on the
skills needed by academics and early career researchers.
These skills can then enable researchers to maximise the
benefits of presenting their academic research to business
audiences. The 2012 workshops have been based around
the topics ‘How to engage with business’, ‘How to become
a more confident and effective networker’, and ‘Presenting
to business’. These topics are able to cover the key
elements that researchers and academics will face when
beginning to approach businesses about sponsorship or
potential collaborations. For participants that attend all
three workshops in the same academic year, a CPD
(Certificate of Personal Development) will be awarded
to mark their achievements.
Previous workshop leaders have included Alan Stevens,
a media coach, professional speaker and writer, Sue
Tonks, a professional speaker and trainer, and Jeff Skinner,
a lecturer in entrepreneurship at London Business School
and previously the Commercial Director of UCL.
Find out more at: www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/researchers/
training/science-business
“Really helpful, great
speaker, engaged the
whole time, will put
into practice”
stated one participant, while another
found the sessions
“useful to become
more confident and
learn new networking
techniques.”
20

“The single most
engaging and
insightful workshop
I have attended in my
six years at UCL,”
was a recent participant’s comment,
and the boot camps have been highly
recommended by others. One student
said that the skills they had learned would
“help me to get a
competitive edge,”
and further feedback described the boot
camps as:
“a new and refreshing
way to learn about
business and
finance.”
Enterprise
Boot Camp
Boot camps are offered to students across the whole of
UCL as a means of learning basic business concepts,
as well as gaining experience of real life business
scenarios. The camps can help students from any
academic discipline demystify the business world and
acquire the knowledge that will make a career in business
more accessible. They are run across three days and no
business knowledge or experience is required. The boot
camps have been a great success and feedback from
students has been extremely positive. They typically cater
to between 120 and 150 people.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/students/training/bootcamp
Entrepreneurship
Guest Lectures
Each year, UCL Advances organises a series of guest
lectures from leading entrepreneurs and investors. These
inspirational speakers provide an insight into the highs and
lows of being an entrepreneur and share advice for those
wishing to start their own business or who have already
embarked on this journey. The event is open to everyone
including staff and students from UCL and the London
Business School. Many guest lecturers are UCL alumni
who have gone on to successfully found and run their own
start-ups, as well as seasoned entrepreneurs with
years of experience.
The first guest lectures were held in 2008. They are a
weekly highlight for students and staff wanting to learn
about every aspect of entrepreneurial ventures, from
finding initial funding, marketing new ideas, attracting
investors, and the risks and rewards of developing a
start-up. Guest lecturers from this past year have included
UCL alumni Kes Thygesen, co-founder of RolePoint, and
Robert Nichols, Director of Edmund Cude lettings agents.
Other speakers have included Nicolas Hantzsch, Director
of Groupon UK & Ireland, and Nick Jankel, Chief Executive
of wecreate. Past lectures are available to view through the
UCL Advances website.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/training/entrepreneurshiplectures
Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
21

Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
OpenInnovation
Collaborate To Innovate
EPIC
The European Pre-Incubation Consortium is led by UCL
Advances and includes members from France, Scotland,
England, Ireland, Germany and Belgium. It is designed to
connect small businesses across North-West Europe that
could be doing business together in the earliest stages of
their development, when it can be difficult to find overseas
customers and suppliers. In building new commercial
relationships, many of these businesses will bypass the
need for early external funding and have more sustainable
long-term activities.
Find out more at: 020 3108 3278 | advances@ucl.ac.uk
22

10,000 “ Small
Businesses introduced
us to entrepreneurs
and academics
who’ve faced the same
trials and tribulations.
Together we’re helping
each other plan a
profitable journey of
future growth for our
businesses. It’s hard
work and it’s exciting.”
Daniel Fagerson
Managing Director, Salt.TV
“UCL Advances has
provided the kind of
high quality delivery that
we needed in London
to make the programme
work and build a
lasting community
of networked small
firms. We are seeing
participating businesses
transformed, creating
the jobs and real
economic value that
the UK economy
desperately needs.
We could not have
found a better partner
to do that with.”
Deepak Jayaraman
Executive Director, Head of Corporate
Engagement, Goldman Sachs
Goldman
Sachs
10,000 Small
Businesses
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme
is designed to unlock the economic and job creation
potential of small businesses and social enterprises
operating in the United Kingdom. The programme is based
on the broadly held view of leading experts that greater
access to education and business support services is the
best way to address barriers
to growth.
The programme is designed
for leaders of small businesses
and social enterprises with
clear ambitions to grow. They
will benefit from targeted
support and resources to help
them define and achieve their
business growth aspirations.
Goldman Sachs and UCL
have an extensive network of organisations and partners.
The core workshops are delivered by a combination of
practitioners and experts who have extensive practical
experience working with, and understanding the needs
of small business leaders.
Find out more:
020 7679 4518 | www.ucl.ac.uk/10ksb
Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
23

Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
Support
The Hatchery
The Hatchery provides office space for start-ups run by
current students or recent alumni, providing them with a
valuable base for their business when in its early stages.
Time is allocated in six month slots free of charge, and
with the close proximity to the UCL Advances team,
students can access support and guidance from the
Student Business Advisors. There are currently 26 student
businesses operating from the Hatchery.
Currently based in the UCL Hatchery:
“Being able to use
the UCL Advances
student Hatchery
gave The Sport
Review a muchneeded
base from
which we were able
to successfully drive
the business to the
next level.”
Martin Caparrotta
Founder, The Sports Review (Italian
and Business Management, BA, 2010)
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/students/hatchery
24

One client found that the
HELO programme
“helped us turn a
product that would
probably have been
a good one into
one that people
love using.”
Ian Collins
of software company Screama
“INTER-CEP will
become a forum for
sharing expertise,
in the form of
approved case
studies, from both
academic research
and practitioner
knowledge,
leading to a better
understanding of how
public policy affects
entrepreneurship
and of how
entrepreneurship
can inform public
policy debate.”
Timothy Barnes
Director UCL Advances
HELO
Initially funded by EU-ERDF, Higher Education London
Outreach (HELO) is both a support programme for local
businesses and a training opportunity for UCL students.
Partner organisations help in identifying small businesses
across London that would benefit from consultancy
projects managed by UCL students. These students are
then able to work alongside these SMEs to deliver realworld
benefits. To date, the project has assisted over
150 companies with projects as diverse as developing
marketing plans, solving complex technical problems in
wireless devices, to prototype developments in 3D printing.
HELO can offer support in the following areas:
Environmental and green projects
Technical support with cutting edge and
innovative projects
Business development and marketing support
Training and staff development
The projects are varied and include software testing
and development, building prototypes and developing
products, materials testing, market analysis, marketing
research and business analysis. Each case is individual
and unique and the team will get to take responsibility in
developing the project and the delivery.
HELO opens up entrepreneurial ventures to students
across the entire breadth of academic disciplines, enabling
them to get the hands-on experience that may not be
available to them through their degree programmes.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/business/support/helo
INTER-CEP
The International Centre for Entrepreneurship Policy is a
new activity managed by UCL Advances and Georgetown
University. Supported by the British Council, the objective
is to bring together those interested in the public policies
that govern and promote entrepreneurship to lead to more
informed decision-making and communication of the best
ideas across borders. As a forum for sharing expertise in
the form of case studies, from both academic research
and practitioner knowledge, INTER-CEP provides a bridge
between knowledge-based organisations and potentially
high growth business start-ups.
Find out more at: www.inter-cep.com
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Business
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25

UCL Advances
provides training
for businesses,
researchers
and students

5Our first
years

Our first 5 years
UCL Advances: 2007– 2012 and beyond
The first five years at UCL Advances
has seen the introduction of major new
initiatives, the expansion of the team
from just four to over 30 people, and an
influx of over £7m in funding for UCL
Advances’ activities.
There has been impressive growth in
the number of students participating
in the Student Venture Programme, as
well as considerable increases in the
number of researchers and businesses
utilising the services on offer.
This timeline gives an overview from
the launch to today, and shows how
far UCL Advances has come from its
foundation in 2007 to being a leading
centre for entrepreneurship and
business interaction.
The first UCL Technology
Innovation Forum in
October 2007: “The
Future of Imaging”
2007
07
2008
UCL Additions
developed since the
formation of UCL
Advances
Formation of
UCL Advances
August 2007

First Enterprise Boot Camps held October 2009
OpenCoffee Club
moves to UCL
March 2008
Communicating Science
to Business CPD courses
for UCL staff started in
October 2008
The Student Internship
Programme, launched
May 2009
First KEA’s start
Since June 2009, 1126
have registered for
Enterprise Boot Camps
Clean Tech Challenge
launched with
London Business
School, October 2009
2010
2009
08
09
First UCL Awards for
Enterprise held in
May 2008
Higher Education
London Outreach (HELO)
programme announced
April 2009
China UK Challenge
launched at UCL in
October 2009
UCL Advances
becomes a partner of
Microsoft BizSpark, the
first outside of the US,
November 2008

Over 100 students
advised about their
business ideas in first six
months of AY2011/12
London
Entrepreneurship
Online launched
October 2010
A dozen student
companies funded
between August 2011
and 2012
First resident of
the UCL Advances
Hatchery,
aliveandgiving.com,
joined August 2010
UCL Advances
Summer Programme
founded in 2011
The European Pre-Incubation
Consortium (EPIC) launched
August 2011
November 2010, launch
party of Selected
Mentors and Interims
for London Enterprises
(SMILE) scheme
The first Citrus
Saturday, held
July 2011
2012
10
2011
11
Launch of the CPD training programme
(Short Courses in Small Company
Management) in summer 2010
StartUp Summer
started with YouGov Plc
and Imperial July 2011
UCL Advances
reaches 10 people
First KTP schemes run
through UCL Advances
in August 2011

Ten years since The London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge was launched by
Timothy Barnes. Now the oldest continually running programme of its
type in the UK with over 5,000 registered participants since its launch
Over 4,000 regular recipients of UCL Advances’ email
bulletin and more than 2,300 followers on Twitter
UCL Enterprise Society wins
National Society of the Year at
NACUE Awards, May 2012
UCL Decide (Support for Digital
Enterprises) and the Enterprise
Europe Network will be launched
in January 2013
2,000 lemons, limes
and other citrus fruits
squeezed for Citrus
Saturday 2 on 7 July 2012
Inter-CEP launched October 2012
New phase of HELO
begins August 2012
ERASMUS for Young Entrepreneurs (YELLOW),
launches September 2012, attracting over
70 applications for placements by young
entrepreneurs with EU host entrepreneurs
12
First cohort of 25 participants
in Goldman Sachs 10,000
Small Businesses London
start January 2012
Mobile Academy starts
September 2012
2013
13
UCL ADVANCES
IS FIVE
Fulbright-UCL Technology Entrepreneurship
Award, announced March 2012, to run in
the academic year 2013/14
UCL Advances delivered 2,500+ places on student
programmes in AY2011/12 with a target of 4,000 pa
by the end of 2014/15
There have been 281 UCL participants on London
Business School electives, arranged by UCL Advances,
since autumn 2009
Over £7,000,000 of agreed funding for UCL Advancesled
activities agreed since launch in 2007 from funders
including HEIF, Goldman Sachs, HEFCE, Santander and
European Union ERDF and InterReg programmes

Open
here

UCL Advances
provides support
for businesses and
individuals that want
to grow and develop

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Knowledge
Exchange
Associates
Frequently PhD students in the final stages of their
research are producing results that are utterly relevant
at the time of publication, and it is therefore crucial that
their knowledge is immediately utilised by businesses.
The Knowledge Exchange Associates scheme places
students in businesses where they will be able to turn
their research into a product or a service which will have
a lasting commercial impact.
The scheme has been beneficial for both
parties involved.
Find out more at: www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/support/kea
Tina Lui, a PhD student in the economics
of logistics was placed with Drewry,
a shipping consultancy company in
Docklands, and said that
“I could apply my
knowledge and also
learn the commercial
and soft skills you
don’t develop
in academia.”
Business
Researchers
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Knowledge
Transfer
Partnerships
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) supports UK
businesses wanting to improve their competitiveness,
productivity and performance by accessing the
knowledge and expertise available within UK
Universities. KTP will provide businesses with a recent
graduate (Associate) who will enable the transfer of
academic knowledge to the company based on their
own area of expertise.
The partnerships typically run from six months up to
three years so companies are able to build up a
working relationship with their Associate and
subsequently gain a qualified member of the team
who can head up new projects.
Find out more at: www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/support/ktp
“The KTP has been
a great success for
all involved.”
Andrew Budgen, Partner at Spacelab
“Already KTP has
helped us develop
a ground-breaking
product for healthcare
professionals.”
Dr Marc Farr
Head of Product Development at
Dr Foster Intelligence Ltd
36

“The Entrepreneurs’
Challenge is a great
way to meet other
entrepreneurs and
to gain access to a
huge pool of talent
and ideas.”
Anthony Morris
London Business School, 2003
“Winning the London
Entrepreneurs’
Challenge was the
initial kick off for our
idea. It gave us the
injection to go further
with it.”
Martin Poschenrieder
CEO, Tipgain and winner of the 2011
London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge
London
Entrepreneurs’
Challenge
The London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge is a workshop
programme and business plan competition open to all
members of UCL, Royal Veterinary College, Birkbeck,
SOAS, and the London Business School that aims to show
participants the process of starting a business by helping
them do it for themselves. In the initial stage, participants
are required to produce an executive summary. This is
followed in the second stage by a more detailed business
plan which is judged for the grand final at the end of
the term. Throughout the process there are overall and
category cash prizes totalling £15,000.
Over the course of the challenge, workshops will be
run by mentors covering topics such as intellectual
property, funding a business and assessing what makes
a good idea. There are also a wide range of networking
opportunities between the participants and professionals
interested in new businesses, as well as with other
students.
The 2012 E-Challenge winning prize went to Jive, which
developed a folding electric bike with a smart phone
application that would run and navigate the bike.
Find out more at: www.londonentrepreneurschallenge.com
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37

Business
Researchers
Students
Training
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OpenInnovation
Collaborate To Innovate
The Mobile
Academy
Mobile Monday London, the capital’s largest community
for people involved in mobile technology, and UCL
Advances have teamed up to launch The Mobile
Academy, a practical, ten-week / 36-hour evening
programme for anyone keen to start or continue their
journey in mobile innovation.
Unlike other courses, The Mobile Academy focuses
on the business, design and technological aspects of
developing successful mobile products, services and
experiences. Amongst other things, it can help
to transform the seed of an idea into a Dragon’s Den
style pitch-ready presentation or an award-winning
mobile campaign.
Participants are encouraged to develop their own idea
as they progress through the programme and can
select from talks, workshops and clinics, all delivered
by industry professionals from successful start-ups, as
well as organisations such as Nokia, Samsung, Opera
and Droidcon. A Certificate of Continued Professional
Development will be awarded to those who complete
the course.
Find out more at: www.themobileacademy.org.uk
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OpenCoffee
Club
The OpenCoffee Club was started in London in March
2007 to give people interested in business start-ups and
entrepreneurship a chance to meet up and discuss ideas,
and help establish important contacts and support to
encourage business growth.
It provides students and those already running their own
start-ups with crucial networking opportunities and the
potential to draw upon others’ experience. London already
has an active members group so for anyone at UCL
exploring entrepreneurship, this is a brilliant opportunity
to expand their knowledge and meet like-minded people.
The initiative has now gone global, and OpenCoffee Club
meetings are being held in over 80 cities in the world.
Find out more at: www.opencoffee.ning.com
38

“The Technology
Strategy course
that I attended last
week was simply a
first class joint effort
between UCL,
Dr. Andrea Masini and
his guest speakers.
The knowledge
gained by the
attendees through
the facilitation of
discussion of theory
and practice, and
with the practical
exercises also set
by the tutor, sent all
of the attendees
away on Friday
afternoon with a
distinct competitive
advantage over
their fellow students,
businessmen and
women. I only wish
that I could return
again on Monday
morning for
another week.”
Peter Rosen
Founder and CEO, Photoedge Limited
Short Courses in
Small Company
Management
UCL Advances organises training for entrepreneurs,
small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and UCL
members. The Short Courses in Small Company
Management are aimed at SMEs and UCL members who
need extra training in specific business-related areas. The
courses attract both academics and professionals creating
a dynamic and interesting learning environment. UCL
Advances short courses have been accredited by the CPD
certification service.
Courses have been designed to cater to different levels
of experience, and are categorised as fundamentals,
intermediate or advanced. A selection of the courses on
offer includes technology strategy, entrepreneurial finance,
an introduction to business law and the dynamic
leadership programme.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/training/short-courses
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39

Business
Researchers
Students
Training
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Support
SMILE
SMILE (Selected Mentors and Interims for London Enterprises)
is an initiative developed by UCL Advances to help Londonbased
SMEs grow and develop by analysing business needs
and connecting them to business mentors.
Businesses that have benefitted from SMILE include Teachus,
a leading private tuition service which has now gone on to
secure a major schools contract this summer, Fulham Hair &
Scalp who are now exploring the introduction of a product line
at Harrods, and photography company Peasy Photos who were
able to refine their business model and take the business in an
exciting new direction.
The relationships built through the SMILE initiative can be a long
term benefit to an SME. The start-up publishing company for
children Kidz4Mation nominated their mentor, Delwar Hossain
for the Best Mentor award in 2011 after he helped them to
develop their business, which he subsequently won.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/business/support/smile
“Universities are a
great source of
practical business
support for small
businesses, and
SMILE is a perfect
example of this.”
Hitul Thobhani
Co-founder, Kidz4Mation
Business
Researchers
Students
Training
Networking
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Student
Business
Advisors
UCL Advances business advisors can provide students
(undergraduate and postgraduate) and recent alumni with
business support to help them start and develop their
businesses. The advisors offer impartial, confidential
advice that is grounded in practicality and based on guidance
that reflects the students’ personal aspirations and goals.
Advice can be provided on, amongst other things, business
planning, cash-flow forecasting, competition analysis, marketing
and promotion. The advisors have access to contacts and
resources, and knowledge of initiatives such as competitions,
mentoring, funding programmes and investment opportunities.
The UCL Advances Business Advisors can help avoid the
pitfalls and traps experienced by many new entrepreneurs. They
understand the complex processes that are part of setting up a
business, and are able to identify the problems that are inherent
in developing a business idea.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/students/business-advice
“The strength of our
trial and the amazing
backing we’ve had
from the team at UCL
Advances has got us
where we are today
with the launch of
Monstercard.”
Alex Emms
Co-founder, Monstercard (Civil
Engineering, BEng, 2013)
40

“The UCL Advances
internship scheme
is the much needed
bridge between
university and the
workplace as it
provides the ideal
chance to navigate
from student life into
the working world.”
Issariya Udomritkul
(Anthropology, BSc, 2009)
Student
Internship
Programme
The Student Internship Programme (SIP) is aimed at
supporting interns while they gain valuable hands-on work
experience. The intern is based within a micro, small or
medium-sized enterprise to carry out a range of activities
intended to help their host business to grow.
This includes training, shadowing and work related
tasks specified by the business. It is an eight week
full-time programme for which the intern is paid a
training allowance by UCL for their living costs. We ask
small to medium enterprises to send us their internship
opportunities and students to send us their CVs. We then
match the students with the opportunities accordingly and
monitor the internship until the end.
The programme is mutually beneficial for both parties
involved, and over the summer of 2012, UCL Advances
was able to support fifty students in various internships.
If student applicants are considered to be a good match
for one of the businesses offering an internship, they will
be required to attend the three day UCL Enterprise Boot
Camp prior to beginning their placement. This is intended
to give students the skills necessary to make the most of
the opportunities on offer during their internship.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/support/internship-progamme
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Business
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Technology
Innovation
Forums
UCL Advances hosts regular Technology Innovation
Forum events on a variety of subjects providing networking
opportunities for businesses and investors to engage with the
highest quality exponents of leading technologies. These events
focus on science-led innovation and future technologies.
The forums attract a rich mix of stakeholders, both in terms
of fields of interest (industry or discipline) and perspectives
(researchers, users, investors). The purpose of the events is to
stimulate new interactions – particularly between communities
that haven’t been engaged before – which may lead to new
relationships, collaborations, and commercial products for the
benefit of society.
The first forum held back in October 2007 was based on
imaging technologies. Previous forum topics have included the
future of telecoms and convergent media, the future of sport,
the future of finance and the future of medicine. As the forums
are developed further from 2013 onwards, they will take on a
tighter format, allowing for niche topic discussion tailored to
specific interests.
Find out more at: www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/networking/tif
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UCL Additions
UCL Additions is a social networking site that links
communities of interest involving UCL and businesses,
investors and entrepreneurs, in a forum where members
can find potential collaboration partners and manage the
development of projects. With UCL Additions you can
strengthen existing networks, find new contacts and take
your ideas forward in groups based around communities
of interest. You can also access relevant job and funding
opportunities, training and events.
UCL Additions is a UCL Advances project that has been
developed for UCL by MegaNexus. Development of UCL
Additions has been part-funded by the National Endowment
for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) in recognition
of its novel approach to opening university knowledge
transfer opportunities.
Find out more at: www.ucladditions.com
42

“The start-up summer
school has been a
fantastic opportunity
for students to
develop their ideas
in a business
environment. They
have really risen to
that opportunity.
The way they have
been putting into
practice everything
they have learned
during their time on
the scheme has really
made us proud.”
Dr Itxaso de Palacio Aguirre
Teaching Fellow, Management Science
and Innovation – one of the session
leaders for students
UCL Advances
Summer
Programme
The scheme runs over a period of seven weeks, allowing
teams to develop their ideas and work closely with their
mentors, ending with a Dragon’s Den style pitch to a
panel of venture capitalists and angel investors in order to
determine the winner of the programme. Student teams
receive a £2,000 project budget and £10,000 worth of
YouGov market research. In 2011 over 100 students from
UCL and Imperial College London applied for the project.
Five teams were selected on the basis of proposed
business plans and then attended a series of master
classes and workshops designed to enhance their
entrepreneurial knowledge and skills. 2011 master classes
were led by well known entrepreneurs including Martha
Lane Fox, Margaret Heffernan and Brent Hoberman.
The StartUp Summer initiative was introduced in July 2011
and forms part of a wider scheme announced by David
Cameron called StartUp Britain, aimed at regenerating
interest in small businesses and helping support potential
new start-ups. UCL Advances have developed StartUp
Summer along with Imperial College and YouGov Plc.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/students/training/
summerprogramme
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Business
Researchers
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UCL Angels
UCL Angels is an informal angels group that provides seed
investment to student-led companies and other London SMEs
engaged with UCL Advances programmes. UCL would like
to facilitate a way for companies to access seed funding from
individuals who believe in the business. This relatively small
amount of funding would enable companies to develop proof
of concept and progress their businesses significantly.
Find out more at: www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/support/uclangels
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UCL Awards for
Enterprise
The annual UCL Awards for Enterprise honour the efforts and
accomplishments of UCL’s innovative and entrepreneurial
academics and students. The awards ceremony and
reception highlight UCL as a leading hub of innovation and
commercial activity, while bringing together academics with
businesses and investors.
UCL is the only university in the UK to celebrate enterprise
and the entrepreneurialism of our staff, students and
graduates on campus, and our commercial partners and
leaders off campus, in such a high-profile manner.
Over the last five years nearly 20 academics have been
recognised for their achievements, as have nearly 20
businesses, and over 50 student businesses have been
supported by our recognition and with monetary prizes.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/enterprise/about/awards
44

“It was an incredible
opportunity which I
totally recommend to
new entrepreneurs
that have just started
or intend to start a
business. Erasmus for
Young Entrepreneurs
provides an
opportunity to learn at
an early stage the art
of entrepreneurship
and how to avoid
risks. In the future,
I hope that I will, in
turn, become the
host entrepreneur
and return the favour
to another new
entrepreneur in the
European Union.”
Lucian Avadani
New Entrepreneur, UK
YELLOW
YELLOW (Young Entrepreneurs Living and Learning by
Overseas Working) is an Erasmus scheme for young
entrepreneurs that aims to foster entrepreneurship
across Europe, by linking young and aspiring
entrepreneurs with experienced entrepreneurs in
another member state of the European Union. Young
entrepreneurs can gain the necessary experience to
establish their own business and create a portfolio of
contacts. The host entrepreneurs also benefit in gaining
new ideas and perspectives. Those who are firmly
planning to embark on a new business venture or those
who have already started a business within the last
three years are eligible to apply, as well as experienced
entrepreneurs who own or manage an SME in the EU.
UCL Advances has bursaries for young entrepreneurs
who want to visit another EU member state to gain
such experience. Host entrepreneurs from high growth
SMEs are also particularly welcome. Potential hosts
are encouraged to register with UCL Advances if they
are seeking new ideas from young and innovative
entrepreneurs.
Find out more at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances/business/support/erasmus
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45

UCL Advances
helps you expand
your network to
meet the people
and businesses
needed to develop
new ideas

Entrepreneurial alumni
UCL has a long history of
outstanding entrepreneurial
alumni, including those that
developed their businesses prior
to the launch of UCL Advances.
This is just a sample of the many
alumni that have gone on to have
entrepreneurial success.
Past
Edwin Waterhouse (BA, 1860)
founding partner of
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PwC is now the largest professional
services firm in the world, and one
of the ‘Big Four’ accountancy firms.
Edwin Waterhouse went into
partnership with Samuel Lowell
Price and from 1874 was one of
the founding members of Price,
Waterhouse & Co., until the
company merged with Coopers &
Lybrand in 1998. He was president
of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants from 1892–4.
Colin Chapman (Structural
Engineering, 1948) founder of
Lotus Cars
At just 24, Colin Chapman founded
the sports car company Lotus
after leaving the Royal Air Force.
Pioneering a new philosophy
with regards to car design, the
lightweight Lotuses would go on
to win seven F1 titles between
1962 and 1978. Chapman was
responsible for creating the worldrenowned
reputation that the brand
still retains today.
Wayne Hemingway (Geography
and town planning, 1982)
co-founder fashion label
Red or Dead
Wayne Hemingway and his wife
Gerardine began their fashion
venture in 1982 by selling items
from their own wardrobe at a stall
in Camden. By the end of the year
they were running 16 stalls. The
brand grew from there on,
as shops opened in Camden,
Manchester and Soho, selling a
combination of original designs
and second hand clothes. Red
or Dead is now stocked by major
retailers across the UK and last
year launched its own fragrance.
Nadhim Zahawi
(Chemical Engineering, 1985)
founder of YouGov
YouGov, established in the UK in
2000, is a market research
agency open to anyone, and
aimed at creating a network of
communication between those with
shared interests. YouGov is now a
global enterprise since acquiring
firms in Germany and the USA, and
opening an office in Dubai. Nadhim
entered Parliament as the MP for
Stratford in 2010.
Ali Parsa (Civil Engineering,
1987, 1995) founder of Circle,
the largest clinical partnership
in Europe
Since the incredible success
of developing and improving
Hinchingbrooke Hospital in
Cambridgeshire, once considered
one of the area’s worst hospitals,
Circle, established in 2005, has
become the largest partnership
of healthcare professionals in
Europe. Circle works to provide
hospitals where the owners are
the employees, putting doctors
and nurses directly in control
of the running of the hospital.
Ali Parsa is a recipient of UK
Young Entrepreneur of the Year,
and graduated with a PhD in
engineering physics from UCL.
Peter Williams (Economics, 1996)
and Robert Shaw (Anatomy, 1996)
co-founders of fashion label
Jack Wills – University Outfitters
Having set up the now widely
sought after Jack Wills clothing
line back in 1999, Williams and
Shaw are now 70% shareholders
in a company that turned a profit of
£13 million in 2011 alone. Friends
at UCL, the pair initially invested
£40,000 of their own savings and
have now launched a sister brand,
Aubin & Wills, aimed at a more
mature audience.
Andrew Jacobs (Economics, 1991)
founder of Giraffe Restaurants
Launched in 1998 by UCL alumnus
Andrew Jacobs along with Juliette
Joffe and Russel Joffe, the Giraffe
restaurant chain is now the fastest
growing national restaurant group
and is expanding overseas.
Embracing music and cuisine
from around the globe, Giraffe
has been an overwhelming
success and six new sites are
being planned this year.
Present
Jay Ruparelia (Statistical
Science, 2007) and Remal Tailor
(Mathematics, 2007) co-founders
of Teachus, a private and
group tuition service based
in London
Both Jay Ruparelia and Remal
Tailor worked for investment
banking firms for two years after
graduating from UCL in 2007 in
order to earn enough money to
start Teachus, a private tutoring
company, in 2009. Teachus has
now gone on to secure a schools
contract in the summer of 2012,
and Jay and Remal have now set
up a summer school programme
for 350 disadvantaged pupils in
Brent moving from primary to
secondary school.
Kes Thygesen (SSEES 2007,
MS&I, 2008) launched the
start-up OVIAhr.com (now
Wowzer) along with a partner
in 2002 and went on to found
Rolepoint, another recruitment
start-up
Rolepoint is a social networking
platform that facilitates easier
communication between
candidates and employers, and
enabling people to recommend
others that they think would be
suitable for a position. This is now
Kes Thygesen’s biggest project
since starting OVIAhr.com in 2002.
48

Raoul Tawadey (Natural Sciences,
2009) founder of Circalit, 2010
Raoul benefitted from using
the Hatchery services at UCL
Advances in the early stages
of his business, and described
it as “a game changer for my
company”. Circalit is an online
publishing platform for writers,
and enables users to follow their
favourite authors as well as post
their own reviews, whilst building a
readership for their own material.
Raoul was one of the winners of
the 2011 Bright Ideas Awards.
Chester Mojay-Sinclare (BA
Philosophy, 2011) founder of
Alive and Giving and Charity
Checkout
Winning both the London
Entrepreneurs’ Challenge and
the UCL Bright Ideas Award,
www.charitycheckout.co.uk is
a charity search engine and
comparison site. Founded
by Chester Mojay-Sinclare, a
Philosophy graduate from UCL,
and co-founded by Melissa
Johnson, also a UCL graduate,
Chester has developed Charity
Checkout which reached the final
of NACUE’s (National Consortium
of University Entrepreneurs)
National Varsity Pitch Competition
in 2011, in the Social Enterprise
category.
Ashton King (MSc Human-
Computer Interaction, 2011)
founder of TigerSense/Captain
Conversion
TigerSense, now called Captain
Conversion, is a user experience
agency based in London. It
works to create instinctive
user experiences, which help
companies and organisations
deliver successful products, such
as websites, by making them more
user friendly. Ashton received
the London Entrepreneurs’
Challenge 2010 Innovation Central
Bursary. Ashton has recently
worked with UCL Advances in
the redevelopment of the website
having completed his master’s in
Human-Computer Interaction at
UCL in 2009.
Michael Langguth and Oyvind
Henriksen (both MSc Technology
Entrepreneurship, 2011) founders
of Poq Studio, and previous
residents in UCL Advances
Hatchery
Founded by UCL students Michael
and Oyvind along with Jun Seki in
2011, Poq Studio creates branded
shopping apps for fashion,
jewellery and beauty companies.
Michael and Oyvind are also
members of the Microsoft
BizSpark programme.
Future
Artsiom Stavenka (PhD Politics and
Energy Dialogue) founder of Old
Bond Ltd., 2011
Art’s firm, Old Bond, attaches
strips of LEDs to the spokes of
bike wheels to display computergenerated
images. Old Bond is
the first of its kind in utilizing bikes
for mobile advertising, and it is this
innovative idea that secured him a
£7,500 loan from UCL’s fifth annual
Bright Ideas Awards. The company
is currently based in the UCL
Advances Hatchery.
Daniel Abluch (MSc Technology
Entrepreneurship), founder of
WeLikeShopping in 2012
UCL graduate Daniel Abluch and
co-founder Phil Vengrinovich
launched WeLikeShopping in
early 2011. The website which
helps consumers discover sales
and new items in clothing stores
across London was built via
communication over Skype while
Daniel and Phil were working on
other projects in different countries.
Daniel and Phil have been able to
build up their team whilst being
based in the UCL Advances
Hatchery, and successfully
launched their website
in July 2012.
Thomas Walczak (BSc
Computer Science) founder
of EventIgnite, 2012
UCL graduate and previous
Hatchery resident Thomas
has developed EventIgnite,
an interactive, cross-device
app for organizing events and
conferences. The app connects
all attendees through social media
and enables speed networking
at events. It also allows all
content to be published to mobile
devices saving money and the
environment.
Brian Hole (PhD Archaeology,
current) and Tom Pollard (PhD
Space and Climate Physics, current)
founders of Ubiquity Press,
2012
Ubiquity Press was founded by
PhD candidates Brian Hole and
Tom Pollard at UCL and is now the
largest open access publisher of
UCL journals. The flexible publishing
model makes journals affordable,
and enables researchers around
the world to find and access the
information they need, without
barriers. Ubiquity Press is currently
operating as a spin-off company
based on campus.
49

Press coverage
Universities and company founders boost
student jobs
“UCL Advances invited
some of the capital’s
most dynamic startups
to bid for student
interns, matched by the
university to ensure they
could hit the ground
running and offer genuine
benefit to the companies
concerned.”
Financial Times, 21 September, 2012
Business? It’s easy peasy for youngsters
“Citrus Saturday, an
initiative set up by
University College
London to give young
people a taste of selfmade
business success,
saw 40 students set up
10 lemonade stands
across the borough.”
Camden New Journal, 12 July, 2012
50

Fledgling ventures flock to London for
seed entrepreneurs
“London has been
crowned Europe’s capital
for start-ups by some of
the global technology
industry’s leading players
at a gathering to
nurture some of the most
promising upcoming
entrepreneurial talent.”
British university blazes a trail in
business start-ups
UCL demonstrates how
the “faces of campus
enterprise reveal the
risks – and rewards –
as business incubators
continue to spread across
the academic world.”
New York Times, 14 February, 2011
Financial Times, 8 September, 2010
51

Bike wheels lead the way for bespoke advertising
“One of ten new
businesses run by past
or present students
of University College
London to share
£100,000 of low-cost
loans for start-ups in its
fifth annual Bright Ideas
Awards for enterprise.”
Mail on Sunday, 20 May, 2012
Get smart with a student
On KEA’s: “It brings
benefits to both sides.
‘By putting Tina’s
academic and intellectual
rigour together with our
practical knowledge
and experience, we
should come up with
something new and
interesting… and we
give Tina operational and
commercial knowledge
of the sector.’”
The Sunday Times, 4 April, 2010
52

UK to teach Americans about start-ups
“American students are to
be encouraged to come
to the UK to learn about
entrepreneurship, under
a scholarship set up by
the Fulbright Commission
and University College
London.”
Financial Times, 1 April, 2012
The new route to a fortune
British universities are
now “offering money
and advice to help
would-be entrepreneurs.
A pioneer in the field
is UCL, which aims to
create 100 new student
businesses each year for
the next five years.”
The Sunday Times, 25 September, 2011
53

Our team
Abigail Freeman
Open Innovation Project Manager
020 7679 7525
abigail.freeman@ucl.ac.uk
Gurpreet Jagpal
Deputy Director
020 7679 7520
g.jagpal@ucl.ac.uk
Alastair Moore
DECIDE Project Lead
020 7679 4599
a.moore@cs.ucl.ac.uk
Hannah Pope
Project Assistant
020 7679 9151
hannah.pope@ucl.ac.uk
Anna Thomlinson
SMILE Services Assistant
020 3103 3286
a.thomlinson@ucl.ac.uk
Helen Anderson
Admin and Finance Assistant
020 3108 3278
h.anderson@ucl.ac.uk
Chris Rayner
Student Business Advisor
020 7679 4879
christopher.rayner@ucl.ac.uk
Jack Wratten
Citrus Saturday Manager
020 7679 4599
j.wratten@ucl.ac.uk
Claire Arbon
Knowledge Transfer Partnership
Manager
020 3108 3290
c.arbon@ucl.ac.uk
Krista Macmillan
Database and Website Manager
020 3108 3285
k.macmillan@ucl.ac.uk
Deepa Visavadia
Departmental Administrator
020 3108 3280
d.visavadia@ucl.ac.uk
Laura Connor
Training Manager
020 7679 4518
laura.connor@ucl.ac.uk
54

Lillian Shapiro
Student Business Advisor
020 7679 7544
l.shapiro@ucl.ac.uk
Sangeetha Agalakotuwa
Training Assistant
020 7679 4518
s.agalakotuwa@ucl.ac.uk
Melissa Lamptey
Multimedia and Web Assistant
020 7679 4887
m.lamptey@ucl.ac.uk
Shauna Kearney
PA to the Director
020 3108 3283
s.kearney@ucl.ac.uk
Natalie Scanlon
Training Assistant
020 7679 7494
n.scanlon@ucl.ac.uk
Steve Dabson
Finance Administrator
020 3108 3279
s.dabson@ucl.ac.uk
Nicolas Ulloa Olguin
HELO Service Assistant
020 3108 3287
nicolas.olguin.10@ucl.ac.uk
Timothy Barnes
Director
020 3108 3282
t.barnes@ucl.ac.uk
Ruth Hou
SMILE Project Manager
020 3108 3288
r.hou@ucl.ac.uk
Wendy Tester
Events Manager
020 3108 3284
w.tester@ucl.ac.uk
Samuel Sheppard
Inter-CEP Project Assistant
020 3108 3283
samuel.sheppard@ucl.ac.uk
55

Planned UCL Advances
Programmes
UCL Advances will continue to
develop new programmes as the
needs of our audiences develop
and funding changes.
The following schemes are
examples of new activities we
are hoping to implement in the
coming year.
Fulbright
The 2013/14 academic year
will see the introduction of a
Fulbright Scholarship opportunity
for one student to undertake a
year-long MSc in Technology
Entrepreneurship in the department
of MS&I. As part of a global
programme aiming to foster
leadership and understanding
between cultures, Fulbright
grantees are offered a number
of cultural events, organisational
memberships, and networking
opportunities during the exchange.
The MSc in Technology
Entrepreneurship will introduce
students to the challenges they
face when starting their technology
enterprises and give them the skills
and academic knowledge they will
need to succeed. They will attend
guest lectures from entrepreneurs
and experienced professionals in
the field through UCL Advances,
as well as attending the London
Entrepreneurs’ Challenge. The
dissertation students produce
in their third and final term will
give a detailed plan of their new
technology enterprise.
UCL DECIDE
DECIDE (Digital Enterprise:
Collaborative Innovation,
Development and Evaluation) is
a ground-breaking programme to
help SMEs achieve pre-commercial
validation of new products and
services. This includes platforms
to support digital development
– including the UCL App Store
for mobile testing and collecting
first user data – as well as access
to content for exploring new
business models – for example,
UK terrestrial TV programming.
DECIDE will also help support
physical systems deployment like
m-payments or loyalty cards to
help road-test offerings.
Student Venture Fund
UCL Advances is currently
planning to launch a small venture
fund for investing in student-led
businesses. It is intended to be
the world’s first truly student-run
investment operation. It is hoped
that this will be ready for launch
in 2013.
Alumni Business Club
Besides the currently offered
services to the UCL Alumni that
have been involved with UCL
Advances during their studies, an
Alumni Business Club will provide
valuable networking opportunities
to UCL Alumni that have started
businesses since graduating.
Benefits will include priority access
to mentoring and training schemes,
discounted CPD courses, the
use of UCL Advances’ incubation
space and early invitations to
relevant events. In becoming a
member of the Alumni Business
Club, UCL Advances can extend
the network of alumni involved in
start-ups, enabling them to further
their professional connections and
get in touch with others in similar
stages of their careers, or with
mutual interests.
56

Partners and Funders
UCL Advances is funded by a core allocation from UCL’s HEIF allocation, with the majority of additional resources coming
from external contracts to provide training and business support services. UCL Advances receives no direct support from
UCL’s core teaching and research funds. The partners and funders shown here are a selection of those we have worked with
since 2007 in funding or delivering activities.
57

UCL Advances is affiliated with
UCL Enterprise, which provides
UCL’s structures for engaging
with business for commercial
and societal benefit.
UCL Enterprise
Enterprise is important to all
universities, but resonates
particularly with UCL. From our
inception we were created as an
enterprising institution, with a bold
ambition to create a University
dedicated to the greatest good for
the greatest number. This principle
has underpinned the evolution
of modern-day UCL, a confident
and enthusiastic community
of enterprising researchers,
educators, and scholars, working
together for the immediate,
medium and long-term benefit
of society.
UCL Enterprise provides UCL’s
structures for engaging with
business for commercial and
societal benefit. It includes three
units: UCL Advances, UCL
Business and UCL Consultants.
Together, they provide access
to the capabilities and resources
of the UCL community to help
businesses start, grow
and develop.
UCL Advances
The centre for entrepreneurship
at UCL, UCL Advances, offers
training, networking and business
support for staff, students
and external entrepreneurs to
encourage and enable new
enterprises to get going.
Unique in the UK Higher
Education sector, its primary
role is to promote a culture of
entrepreneurship on campus
and engagement with
entrepreneurs and small
businesses beyond UCL’s
boundaries, and currently delivers
over 30 activity programmes.
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances
UCL Business
UCL Business is a leading
technology transfer company,
which supports and
commercialises research and
innovations arising from UCL,
one of the UK’s leading researchled
universities. UCLB has a
successful track record and
strong reputation for identifying
and protecting promising new
technologies and innovations
from UCL academics.
It invests directly in development
projects to maximise the potential
of the research and manages
the commercialisation process of
technologies from the laboratory
to be market ready. UCLB
supports UCL’s Grand Challenges
of increasing UCL’s positive
impact on and contribution to
Global Health, Sustainable Cities,
Intercultural Interaction and Human
Wellbeing. www.uclb.com
UCL Consultants
UCL Consultants Ltd was
established by UCL to bring its
academics together with national
and international clients, providing
access to UCL’s leading-edge
expertise and world-class facilities.
UCL Consultants offers a
one-stop office for academics
wishing to carry out consultancy
work, providing comprehensive
contractual, tendering and
administrative support, enabling
UCL staff to ensure timely,
high-quality delivery to meet clients’
requirements. It has extensive
experience in working with a
wide variety of clients including
multi-national, governmental
organisations, space agencies,
international companies and SMEs.
www.uclconsultants.com

UCL Advances
www.ucl.ac.uk/advances
advances@ucl.ac.uk
1st Floor
90 Tottenham Court Road
London W1T 4TJ