{"id":2622,"date":"2025-06-27T07:46:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T07:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/imperial-people\/?p=2622"},"modified":"2025-06-27T07:46:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T07:46:00","slug":"enterprise-lab-empowering-entrepreneurship-at-imperial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/imperial-people\/2025\/06\/27\/enterprise-lab-empowering-entrepreneurship-at-imperial\/","title":{"rendered":"Enterprise Lab: Empowering entrepreneurship at Imperial"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sarah<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt’s not only that Imperial is super professional and super high performance, but it’s just got an amazing culture and community which is bursting with creative energy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Enterprise Lab<\/span><\/a> is Imperial\u2019s dedicated support service for students, staff and alumni who want to develop their entrepreneurial mindset, skills, and networks. <\/span>Ben Mumby-Croft, Director of Entrepreneurship, and Sarah Ranchev-Hale, Head of Enterprise Lab, support Imperial founders to build their ideas, create successful businesses, and deliver solutions to some of the world\u2019s most pressing challenges.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Helping students pursue their ideas<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Enterprise Lab was launched in 2016 to support students and alumni in entrepreneurial skills and launching new ventures. Ben said: \u201cOur mission is to help participants to develop their skills, mindset and networks. What differentiates Imperial is the scale of entrepreneurial support, from the early ideas phase to raising funding, In the last 5-years we have supported the creation of 214 startups who have gone on to raise \u00a3504.4 million in funding.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah added that being able to support students and alumni with the skills to take their ideas and research and bring them to life in the real world is what helps Imperial be not just a world-leading university, but a world changing one.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur position as a STEMB institution gives us a key advantage, as we have the technical capabilities to execute students\u2019 and alumni\u2019s great ideas. With the launch of <\/span>Imperial\u2019s Science for Humanity strategy<\/span><\/a> in 2024, innovation and entrepreneurship have been embedded at the core of the institution\u2019s mission.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A winning ecosystem<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The wide range of programmes and support the Enterprise Lab offers has created a winning ecosystem for entrepreneurs to explore and develop their ideas. There are multiple Enterprise Lab-run programmes such as the Venture Catalyst Challenge and WE Innovate, with many students participating in multiple initiatives.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah said: \u201cWe\u2019ve got this incredible pipeline of talent and ideas and success, and it becomes a virtuous circle. Founders take everything they can from the ecosystem in a positive way and then they bring it back themselves, by advising future founders or supporting the Lab in return.\u201d Student and alumni founders are encouraged to \u2018pay it forward\u2019 by taking the <\/span>Imperial Entrepreneurs Pledge<\/span><\/a> to support the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben added: \u201cIt’s not only that Imperial is super professional and super high performance, but it’s just got an amazing culture and community which is bursting with creative energy.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of their flagship programmes, WE Innovate, will soon launch nationally to support women-led teams across the UK. Founded at Imperial in 2014, the initiative was the first women\u2019s entrepreneurship competition at a UK university.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Helping and creating opportunities for people<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

On a day-to-day basis Sarah motivates herself with the guiding principle of working to help or create opportunities for people. One of the most memorable founders and project she has worked with is Charco Neurotech, which was created by Lucy Jung to develop a wearable device that alleviates the symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s Disease. Her day-to-day work involves supporting programmes like WE Innovate and Venture Catalyst Connector, to working with external partners such as philanthropists, and identifying new ways to support founders.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s work is focused on ensuring the right programmes and support services are\u00a0 in place to enable the Lab to grow and become even more successful. One of his highlights so far has been working with <\/span>PulpaTronics<\/span><\/a> who raised <\/span>\u00a3500,000 in investment and won a major UK start-up prize for their development of sustainable RFID tags.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to find out more about Enterprise Lab or give feedback and get involved in helping Enterprise Lab to develop its strategy and services for the next 5-years, then please contact Ben directly here.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read next<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n