Recently, there has been a fair bit of attention placed on the growing need to connect a generation of young people with the opportunities, vibrancy and energy of small startup and SME businesses.
And so, on the 18th and 19th of April (this Thursday and Friday), the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE), supported by the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA), will host an event to connect over 300 people with the rapidly expanding European startup scene.
NACUE's Startup Launchpad is a conference filled with talks, panels and workshops with leading entrepreneurs, investors or staff from some of the most exciting companies of recent years. Notable speakers include MindCandy founder Michael Acton Smith, lastminute.com co-founder Martha Lane-Fox and Raspberry Pi founder Jack Lang.
Its aim is to connect students and graduates with some of the biggest names and organisations in the startup community. This will enable the youngsters to take the next step in their entrepreneurial journey, be it founding or working in a startup. The thing with startups is that they exist in a variety of types and are in different stages of growth. Therefore, exposure to the wider community will be beneficial to students as they can gauge what type of startup they want to be involved in.
The event will be held at The Light in East London - a converted train station in the heart of the Tech City cluster of startups. Over the course of two days, delegates will receive a comprehensive insight into the global startup scene from more than 60 expert speakers and guests.
Panels will discuss the future of tech in education, the impact startups are having on the music industry, and the future of local technologies. People looking to enter the startup scene will also gain a sense for what working for a startup is really like, and know what skills they need to survive in a startup.
Tickets are pretty affordable, priced at £55 for both days, and £35 for a single day pass. It's basically the equivalent on what students would spend at a posh bar on a night out anyway (if you include the cab fare back home). If this sounds interesting, then head over to www.launchpadconference.com to find out more.