The University of Manchester held three separate entrepreneurship events this week aimed at building the next generation of innovators, from early-stage student ideas through to scaling businesses globally.

Students explore business thinking at MEC Ideas Unlocked

MEC Ideas Unlocked, held at University Place, brought together students from across the University to learn how to think and act like entrepreneurs. Staff from the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre — Louise Taylor, Enterprise Manager, and Dan Syder, Ecosystem Development Manager — worked with students in groups to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, and structure their ideas using the MEC Business Model Canvas.

Prem Todeti, a first-year renewable energy master's student, described the value of the structured approach: "Usually we have lots of ideas, but we don't know how to structure them, how to convert them into a business."

Darcey Cornish, a final-year International Management student at Alliance Manchester Business School, highlighted the networking benefit: "I never would have met any of these individuals had I not come to the event. It just demonstrated the importance of people from all over the world having different ideas, but you can still come together and make one solid foundation."

Lee Pugalis, Director of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, said the Centre has almost trebled business formation over five years, with over 80 businesses created in the last year alone. He identified student talent as the key to future innovation: "Students are our most powerful innovators. So, if every student was graduating with an entrepreneurial mindset... it could be well in excess of 50,000 students. That talent pipeline is the biggest impact we can have in terms of innovation."

Northern spin-outs explore global scaling at the Whitworth

A panel at the Whitworth Art Gallery, hosted by Northern Gritstone, examined how northern start-ups can scale worldwide while maintaining their regional identity. Panellists from life sciences and battery technology agreed that companies expand globally when their innovations meet real customer needs internationally.

Dr Nicola Broughton, Chair of University of Liverpool spin-out Extentus Pharma, outlined a hybrid model where a company can run sales and a commercial hub in the United States while keeping its research base in the UK.

Professor Sam Butterworth, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Manchester spin-out Apini Therapeutics, stressed the value of northern roots: "I think our Manchester origin builds on reputation. There is great science coming out of the Northwest."

One panellist was absent for a positive reason: Dr Tim Echtermeyer, founder of PhovIR Technologies, a spin-out from the University's Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, was in California meeting investors for the company's next funding round.

Joanne Hosker, Head of NG Innovation Services at Northern Gritstone, highlighted the importance of recruitment for global growth: "Recruiting people with experience, I think, is the most important thing you can do to grow globally. If you get that flywheel going, that's what's really exciting."

Founder Momentum Day at Sister offers practical guidance

Sister, the innovation hub on the University's former North Campus, hosted the second edition of Founder Momentum Day, connecting early-stage founders with peers and specialist advice.

A workshop on investor readiness, led by Adam Clayton of GM Business Growth Hub, stressed that investors now back the founder as much as the product. Clayton advised founders to prioritise transparency, resilience, and an organised data room alongside their pitch deck. He encouraged founders to name their competitors rather than avoid them: "Competition is good because it shows there's money to be made."

Leyla Ari, an AI entrepreneur, explained the value of peer engagement: "Days like this matter for AI founders like me. You can build something technically brilliant, but you only learn how to win people's trust by talking to customers, advisers, and other founders."

The afternoon's Silicon Sessions, hosted by Lewis Sayes of Silicon Mingle, shifted the focus from pitching to problem-solving. Three founders shared real challenges, which experts and peers worked through together, including Karim Bahou, Head of Innovation at Sister, and specialists in marketing, commercial law and grant funding.

Sayes explained the value of this approach: "We always like to present our businesses as perfect. That's why I enjoy doing this so much, because it changes that around."

Ongoing support for founders includes free Thursday evening gatherings and co-working space at Sister, and a monthly mixer hosted by Silicon Mingle on the last Wednesday of each month. Founder Momentum Day will return in a few months.

Dr Soumya Pujar, a Master's in Public Health student, reflected on the broader impact of the events: "Today's event showed me that every problem has a solution. Collectively, we can work together and do better."