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²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Leicester (²ÝÁñÊÓƵ) has been ranked in the Top 10 of British universities supporting student and graduate startups for the third year running.

A total of 131 new businesses were launched by students and graduates, with 129 of those receiving support from Enterprise & Entrepreneurship, part of ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ's Careers Team, the university employability support service.

As a result, the university was placed ninth in the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) rankings for 2021/22.

Phil Curtis, Digital and Data Strategy Manager within ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ’s Careers Team said: “This is testament to the great work and dedication of our Enterprise Team, and most importantly to our talented students and graduates, who are proving themselves to be some of the most creative and innovative in the country.”

In 2021/22, the Enterprise & Entrepreneurship team created ran numerous programmes and events, intentionally creating as many access points as possible to entrepreneurship in order to meet student and graduate needs.

Simon Baines, Enterprise Manager said: "During the pandemic, engagement in our activities which encourage entrepreneurship and self-employment grew significantly. 

“To retain a high level of engagement in the year when we were faced with the complexities of returning to physical delivery feels like a huge achievement, and we are grateful to every student and graduate who took the opportunity to engage with us during such challenging times".

Programmes led by the Enterprise & Entrepreneurship team inspired students and graduates located both locally and overseas. Leicester’s Future Entrepreneurs was a six-month, practical programme for students and graduates – as well as members of the local business community – who participated in sessions held in venues across the city from bars to creative workspaces, depending on the topic.

Sarah Thomson, Director of Development and Engagement: “Our alumni team work effectively with the formidable enterprise team to enhance a number of excellent projects including Leicester’s Future Entrepreneurs, which saw our alumni work alongside both current students and the external business community in a programme of highly practical workshops”.

Following the success of the Future Entrepreneurs programme, the Leicester’s Future BAME Entrepreneurs programme was launched, with 25 people taking part in workshops led by award-winning academics, Q&A sessions with successful alumni and a practical communications experience  The cohort undertook a series of workshops, including: with DJ’s from national radio station KISS FM.

The Enterprise team also worked with the university’s international experience programme, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Global, to provide trips bursaries for students to travel to Los Angeles and Lisbon where they were inspired by alumni who have established themselves as creatives and founders.

Beyond the careers team, the university’s incubator programme, The Crucible, utilised HEIF funding to support 10 graduate businesses to grow. It also received an injection of funding from the LLEP to open masterclasses up to local businesses.

Any ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ student or graduate interested in developing entrepreneurial skills or learning about self-employment can find out more at