We are delighted to support Idea Factory through our Foundation because it empowers students to transform their ideas into viable businesses. By providing essential validation, pitching skills, and funding opportunities, Idea Factory fosters a dynamic environment where creativity and entrepreneurship can flourish. We are especially proud to support the Women Entrepreneurs Network which encourages women to become innovators and leaders in business. It's proven success in the last few years inspires us, and we are delighted to continue our support of the programme.
Yulia and Igor Tikhturov, King's alumni
30 July 2024
King's alumni support next generation of entrepreneurs
The Yulia Rudko and Igor Tikhturov Foundation, established by two King’s alumni, gifts £78K a year over three years, to support King’s students and alumni to explore their entrepreneurial ideas.
The funding will be instrumental in supporting the Entrepreneurship Institute (EI), part of King's Business School, to further its support in finding and developing early-stage ideas from across King’s nine faculties, through its Idea Factory competition and will also support the development of King’s Women Entrepreneur’s Network.
The Foundation was created by King’s alumnus, Igor Tikhturov (Business Management, Class of 2013) and Yulia Rudko, King’s alumna (LLB Law with Translational Legal Studies, Class of 2014). It makes grants to small and medium-sized charities, with a particular focus on women’s rights and childhood poverty.
The gift will help the EI to support an additional 500+ entrepreneurs from King's diverse community of students, staff and alumni. This support will focus on early-stage idea development through guidance, mentoring and funding.
The Women Entrepreneurs Network is expected to grow to over 2,500 members in the next three years and will advocate for changes within the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem, to support more women across the UK to start and scale businesses effectively.
Idea Factory is King’s flagship early-stage idea generation competition, taking ideas from ‘light bulb’ moment, to potential viable business. After attending bootcamp workshops focused on validation and pitching, winners pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, for the chance to win funding and mentoring to take their idea further. To date Idea Factory has supported over 370 ideas and participants have gone on to raise over £3 million in investment.
The Women Entrepreneurs Network is a community of over 1,400 members who are all interested in entrepreneurial skills and start-ups. Open to students, staff and alumni at King’s, it exposes members to entrepreneurial skills, knowledge sharing and a supportive community through workshops, accountability groups and an annual retreat.
We are delighted that one of our King’s Business School alumni has decided to give back so generously and support the early stage development of the next generation of ‘made at King’s’ start-ups. We look forward to scaling this impact in the years to come and to seeing the ideas that this gift will enable to flourish.
Professor Stephen Bach, Executive Dean of King’s Business School
We are so grateful to The Yulia Rudko and Igor Tikhturov Foundation for their generous gift which will enable us to support many more early-stage entrepreneurs over the next three years. We will also build on our existing work to advocate more actively in the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem for changes that will enable more women to start and scale businesses.
Julie Devonshire OBE, Director of the Entrepreneurship Institute
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Executive Dean, King’s Business School
Director, Entrepreneurship Institute