The University of Westminster hosted its third What it Takes event of the 2023-24 series on 2 November 2023, where students and recent graduates had the opportunity to listen to a panel of alumni entrepreneurs discussing their experiences of building a successful start-up.
The event was organised by the Alumni Relations Office in collaboration with Westminster Enterprise Network (WeNetwork) and saw around 100 students and recent graduates attend to hear from the panel of alumni entrepreneurs who shared insights from their own journeys and offered advice about how to start or advance a business. The event then opened up to the audience who were given the opportunity to ask questions.
The panellists included former International Business BA Honours student Letitia Seglah, the founder and CEO at Lively Tuition and Head of Learning and Programmes at Do it Now Now, an incubator and business support organisation that helps founders from underrepresented communities go from the idea stage all the way to raising investment.
Another panellist was Nevine Coutry, founder of Playdate App Limited, the UK’s first dating app for single parents. After completing her Marketing Communications MA at Westminster, Nevine established her own marketing agency. Initially working with a few smaller clients from Egypt who wanted to break into the UK market, Nevine’s agency quickly grew and acquired clients from all over the world.
As a travel and hospitality marketing agency, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Nevine’s business hard and she was unable to continue while homeschooling her son as a working single mother. Nevine took the closing of her marketing agency as an opportunity to enter a different industry and created Playdate. Drawing on her personal experience and marketing expertise, Nevine’s app now has nearly 50,000 users.
Piril Buran, co-founder at PawsApp and former Investment and Risk Finance MSc student also joined the panel. PawsApp connects dog owners with local caregivers on-demand, utilising smart technology to ensure every match is perfect, offering personalised care. The PawsApp team is dedicated to revolutionising the European pet care market, providing tailored solutions for all pet care needs and setting a new industry standard.
Finally, they were joined by Dr Wareed Alenaini, the founder of Twinn Health, a London-based MedTech startup developing an AI-driven imaging platform for the early detection of age-related diseases. Twinn Health's platform has the potential to revolutionise healthcare by enabling clinicians to identify patients at risk of developing chronic diseases up to ten years earlier than current methods.
The event was chaired by Dr Irene Brew-Riverson, Senior Lecturer, School of Organisations, Economy and Society. About the event she said: “It was marvellous to hear the stories of the entrepreneurs and to see how they had overcome the odds to develop innovative business models, start-ups and grow their businesses.”
David Brooks, Alumni Relations Officer, added: “It was a brilliant event, with lots of useful insights and advice for student and graduates to take away. We were thrilled that so many people came along to learn about building a successful start-up. A huge thank you to our panel of alumni for sharing their experiences, and to Irene for chairing the event so well.”
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