How can I develop my business ideas? Where to get advice

Got an idea but not sure if it’s a bona fide spinout yet? There is a wealth of options and support out there for all types of ideas; from those that need advice and nurturing, to those that are ready to start trading right away. The University is keen to support and grow all aspects of enterprise and entrepreneurship.

Here we take you through some of the options available through Oxford University.

• Enterprising Oxford is being developed at the University of Oxford. It helps to encourage and promote entrepreneurial thinking by providing an easily accessible way for students, researchers, and staff to discover more information about and take advantage of local entrepreneurship events and training. It also aims to encourage more multi-disciplinary entrepreneurial collaboration. This is the ideal place to go for information and resources.

• The Oxford Launchpad at Saïd Business School is a place for entrepreneurially-minded people to meet, collaborate, create, and strengthen ventures. The Launchpad has something to offer everyone, with regular speaker events, hackathons, social mixers and more. Meet like-minded others and become part of a community.

• Oxford Entrepreneurs cater for everyone and celebrate every kind of business; from the small dreams….to the big business…to the huge companies. Whatever your ambition they offer support for student entrepreneurs.

• Startup Incubator is a support service aimed at members and ex-members of the University of Oxford. It typically supports founders from the idea stage, but also takes in and successfully accelerates more mature ventures.  The incubator supports those wanting to start or grow entrepreneur-driven ventures that are not University spinouts. 

• Begbroke Science Park offer a flexible, supportive environment which encourages links between high-tech science-based spinouts, their more established counterparts, and the University. The interaction between industry and learning is consistently producing new synergies, and they support entrepreneurs as they translate those synergies into innovations which meet tomorrow’s industrial challenges. Begbroke enables larger, more established companies to grow, thanks to their labs and facilities.