Keen to make London a more sustainable city? Got ideas to improve the way we work, travel, and live? Read more about how to create a sustainable product and win £20,000!
Sound exciting? It is! And, as Yik Kei says, “everyone has an idea, you just need to find your passion.” Even if it sounds scary, Ashley adds, “that’s how you grow.”
Yik Kei and Ashley are Geography students currently interning with the Mayor’s Entrepreneur team, encouraging King’s students (and recent graduates!) to apply for the entrepreneur competition exclusive to the University of London. This year, Ashley predicts, “we can get a King’s winner!”
So what do you have to do?
You can enter alone or as part of a team, just come up with a great idea for making London more sustainable – “it doesn’t have to be amazingly innovative; it just has to be a sustainable idea”, says Ashley.
In fact, lots of the past winners started off with a small idea that became big, such as bio-bean which went from a small team to a multi-million-pound sustainability business.
Top Tip: “find the gaps in sustainable provision in our city”, says Yik Kei.
What do you get?
If you’re one of the 120 semi-finalists, you will attend boot camp-style training to bring on your skills, and then pitch to expert judges. Those who get through to the final will pitch their ideas in front of celebrity judges and live audiences. If you win, you’ll get £20,000 to put your ideas into action!
But its not just about winning.
As Yik Kei says, “people shouldn’t be intimidated by the competition element, because either way you win. Even if you don’t get shortlisted, you get a certificate for your CV and this shows that you’re an entrepreneur. Businesses look for that.” Ashely agrees: “it’s a great way of expanding your entrepreneur abilities past King’s and into London”.
Want to learn more about how to talk about your Knowledge, Attributes, Skills, and Experience on your applications? Check out our advice on KEATS! Resilience is also one of the attributes that is most crucial to career success and happiness – so not winning is good for you!
How to apply?
You have until midnight on 22nd March so there’s no rush. If you’re interested, you should sign up for newletters and attend the workshops at City Hall to learn about developing and pitching ideas!
The workshops are on 17th February and 16th March so you’ve got plenty of time to think about your ideas and gather a team!