Exeter Entrepreneurs

Exeter Entrepreneurs is the entrepreneurial student-run society at the University of Exeter. The society exists fundamentally for the purpose of enhancing and developing entrepreneurialism amongst students at the University of Exeter in collaboration with the University of Exeter, The Business School at the university and the Innovation Centre at Exeter's Streatham campus. Throughout the course of each year the society holds various speakers which in the past have included Bob Geldof (Patron of the society for the academic years 09/10 and 10/11), Glenn Manchester founder of Thunderhead, David Stone of Guru Marketing as well as Katie Hopkins from The Apprentice TV show. For the academic year of 2011/12 and going onwards Deborah Meaden has agreed to be the patron of the society as well as committing one full day a year to the society and its members.
History
The Exeter Entrepreneurs Society was founded in 2009 by two former Exeter University students Harry Cott and Amanuel Burnham as a response to Exeter University being the only Top 10 university at the time that did not have an entrepreneurial based society.
In its first year, the academic year 09/10, the society had a combined total of 60 members despite the society not being fully incorporated into the guild by the time of the fresher’s squash of that year. In the second year of 2010/11 the society had a membership total of 360.
Events & Activities
OutRageous Traders
The first major event held by the newly formed Exeter Entrepreneurs Society was during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009 where the Exeter Entrepreneurs Society created a competition called "OutRageous Traders". The idea of this competition came from the real life story of the “One Red Paper Clip”. The competition was open to all society members and university students. Each participant was given a USB stick and then during the course of 1 week had to trade that item up to an item of higher value . The final items were then sold on Ebay, with 80% of the total being given to the charity of choice of the other society involved in the competition, Raising and Giving (R.A.G), 10% of the total came back to the society and 10% of each item sold individually went back to the person who traded up to that item.
For three years in a row the Exeter Entrepreneurs Society has been awarded the High Impact Badge of Honour from Global Entrepreneurship Week as a sign of the societies continued commitment to entrepreneurialism.
The Exeter Apprentice
Later on in 2009 the society ran its largest event of the year called “The Exeter Apprentice”. The society funds up to 50 teams of 2-5 people £100 to start a business of their choice for a period of 1 month. Each team keeps all of the profit they make from their business along with returning with original £100 investment back to the society. There are three prizes for this competition, Most Profitable which is the main prize, Most Original and Most Ethical. In 2009 the winning team (William Bly, Duncan Fogg and Nicholas Hill) created an Exeter University branded pint glass. Other teams included locally sourced fruit from Devon and created Exeter University branded underwear.
In later years teams that have participated in this competition have created organic lubricants and Exeter University branded water bottles. In 2009 the awards ceremony for The Exeter Apprentice was presented by Bob Geldof.
Resident Entrepreneur On Campus Creation
In the academic year of 2010/11 the societies committee was asked by the student president to put together a document of how the university and the guild could aid the society and students in promoting entrepreneurialism at the university and on campus. Within this document the committee asked for formal support by the student guild and university to create a full-time position of a resident entrepreneur who would provide advice, formal training and consulting on all aspects of starting a business. This resulted in university then approaching Tom Carrington-Smith, one of the co-founders of unisport.com . Starting in the academic year of 2011/12 Tom Carrington-Smith is the resident entrepreneur on campus who holds weekly drop in sessions for any student looking into any aspect of starting their own business.
SET Squared Involvement
In 2011 Exeter University through the Innovation Centre the Exeter Entrepreneurs Society was admitted to the SET Squared Partnership with the University of Bath, Bristol University, Southampton University and Surrey University. In the academic year of 2010/11 one of the former committee members for the society won the prize of Student Enterprise Champion for her work within the society and her own business.
The society also entered its own competition The Exeter Apprentice into the category of Best Student Enterprise Experience for the SET Squared awards but in 2011 lost out to the University of Bath.
NACUE Involvement
The society has been involved with NACUE since the academic year of 2010/11, with NACUE providing external support regarding competitions and awards. In early 2012 NACUE conducted an external report on the society and found that the society outstripped the national average for enterprise based societies in the specific areas of "Funding", "Programmes/Events", "Registered Membership" and "External Rleations." This report shows the continued support of the society and the commitment it has to its members.
Sponsors
The Innovation Centre at the University of Exeter has been the main sponsor of the society since its inception in 2009. For the academic year of 2011/12 another sponsor has been added in the form of Nando's restaurant allowing members to received 20% off at the Nando’s restaurant in Exeter.

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