StartupCafe

@Dreamstake is a network for creative entrepreneurs and last week I attended one of their events: Female Superheroes.When events like this go well, it’s like cocaine for business-minded folk.  Suddenly you feel great and want to rush away to execute your ideas!  There was a good turn out, lots of energy and inspirational stories.  It was great to see such enthusiasm. Several cool women gave presentations but I only have room to give a quick mention to a couple of them here today.

Devilishly Handsome Productions

Thembisa Cochrane from the deliciously named Devilishly Handsome Productions sent out a strong message that women need to be more courageous about technology.  She asked for women to step up and try to understand tech-related subjects and products.  Her presentation was peppered with a series of quotes, borrowed from the likes of Mark Twain, and included:

• “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure”
• “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”
• “Insist on yourself, never imitate”  (this one resonates strongly and will get a post of its own someday).

Devilishly Handsome Productions produce branded video communications.  Check out their cute About Us video. They’re looking for some cool people to interview for their new online video channel DHP.tv.  The channel features folk from creative and business industries who’ve ‘completed inspirational projects using digital technology’.  Does that description fit anyone you know?

SIFE UK

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is a social enterprise that aims to create sustainable communities all over the world.  A team of students from University of Sussex talked about their involvement.  Their projects are based in distant lands such as Mexico and Malawi but they are also dedicated to improving communities in Brighton, England.  Inspir8 is a project targeted at Year 10 and 11 students in Brighton and aims to raise ambition via workshops and the creation of enterprises.  One such enterprise saw students growing and then selling their own herbs – they got to make and sell their own products and benefit from the profits.

SIFE fund their projects themselves via grassroot efforts such as cake sales and event organisation.  However, they also have a commercial project where they make and sell their own jewellery.

Scottish Universities that have SIFE teams include Glasgow and Strathclyde.

Students are not often given much credit for their entrepreneurial spirits, and universities’ efforts to foster an entrepreneurial culture within its student population often come under attack.  But student societies such as these, and Edinburgh Uni’s very own iCue (Innovative Consulting, Uni of Edin) – the first Junior Enterprise in Scotland –  are often hotbeds of initiative, creativity, relentless drive and naivete-fuelled courage!  And given the fact that that’s how the four founders of StartupCafe (Thomas, Kate, Jess & I) originally met and spent the bulk of our student time, we should know 😉