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Becoming more entrepreneurial: A time to reflect

Julie Devonshire OBE

Director of the Entrepreneurship Institute

04 March 2025

Today marks 10 years of the Entrepreneurship Institute at King’s College London – a moment that invites us to reflect on the students, staff, alumni, partners and the public, who have joined and shaped our entrepreneurial community. Together we have defined a unique flavour of entrepreneurship that works best at King’s – one that is innovative, inclusive and impactful.

Working in a world-leading university dedicated to positive change, serving society and delivering real impact, increasingly our contribution can help. We have built a thriving community of entrepreneurial thinkers who can imagine new solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. By developing entrepreneurial skills like disruptive thinking, problem solving, validating ideas (or pivoting them!), the King’s community has embraced an entrepreneurial mindset, ready to compel and inspire others with their ideas.

10,000 changemakers and counting

Today we have reached a special milestone – 10,000 students, staff and alumni have become more entrepreneurial, by learning and practicing new entrepreneurial skills. How will they shape the future? Who amongst them will create start-ups of their own?

The King's community are already contributing to King’s vision to make the world a better place, whether that’s in:

Health: Pahini Pandya, Andreia Trigo and Mercy Ofuya are transforming healthcare solutions.
Climate action: Josephine Philips, Leonardo Vizioli and Natasha Ibori are pioneering action on sustainability. Michele Tieghi is brewing zero-miles beer!
Education: Dan George and Arthur Galamba are reshaping learning.

And these are just a few, I could go on!

A decade of impact and growth

Over the past ten years, we have celebrated unforgettable moments and milestones, thanks to the dedication of our hardworking team. We have:

Built a Women Entrepreneurs Network (1,400+ members)
Expanded the King's Investor Network (800+ members)
Grown a digital entrepreneurial community (33,000+ members)
Collaborated with universities on Venture Crawl and London Demo Day
Welcomed thousands of people curious to learn more about entrepreneurship

There has never been a greater need for entrepreneurial mindsets than now, and our ambitions for the next 10 years reflect this. We’re excited to equip even more students, staff and alumni with the ability, skills and mindsets to imagine new solutions and make them happen.

Group of people cheering for the camera on roof top

King's Start-up and Spinout Accelerators are flagship programmes at King's, supporting venture scaling.

Professor Shitij Kapur presenting to a full auditorium

Bringing investors closer to the entrepreneurial talent at universities, at London Demo Day.

Encouraging inclusivity in entrepreneurship by empowering women entrepreneurs.

Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Prof. Shitij Kapur

Promoting the value of entrepreneurship and innovation on a national scale.

Group of people outside National Theatre in London

Bringing students closer to industry and employers at Venture Crawl.

Thank you to our supporters

Thanks from the Entrepreneurship Institute, to our supporters, who have made this journey possible - Santander Universities, David Walsh, Babatunde Soyoye, the Yulia Rudko and Igor Tikhturov Foundation, Stefan Allesch-Taylor and the Taylor Brothers.

A special thanks to our Experts-in-Residence - Jenna Dominique, Yo Percale, Theo Ohene, Omar Butt, Kay Kukoyi, Savitri Tan, Anthony Paine, Kristin Polman, Emma Sexton, Farhan Lalji, Alice Smith, Julie Warneck, Dr Carolina Estêvão, Nicola Kidman, Rehka Mehr, Sonya Barlow – and to the inspiring and knowledgeable team at the Entrepreneurship Institute: Holly Knower, Rachel Stockey, Nina Lanzon, Hayley Jones, Julie Kouamo, Andrea Olsson, Yotam Levy, Jessica Horwill, Ema Talam, Olumide Aderinwale, Unsal Kaynak, Annabel Byrne, Indea Hourihan, and Dan McPherson along with our favourite colleague and supporter, Mike Shaw.

A final thought

It’s been a joy and an honour to hear new ideas at King’s every day. Knowing that individuals are applying their minds to make things better, can fill you with hope. Wherever you are, find a way to support and include new ideas in your life.

Here’s to the next decade of entrepreneurial thinking, inclusive action and world-changing innovation!

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The Entrepreneurship Institute supports all students, staff and alumni at King's to scale their entrepreneurial skills and ideas. To get started with your entrepreneurial journey, visit our website.