UpStartNetwork which has so far held First Tuesday-style events
for students of Oxford and Bristol universities, brings together
students with investors and other start-ups, with the aim of
promoting young entrepreneurs and encouraging more internet and
high-tech initiatives.
UpStartNetwork is sponsored by OUT-LAW.COM. As well as a
five-figure sponsorship deal, OUT-LAW will run legal advice clinics
at workshops for students starting up in business.
Jon Fell of OUT-LAW.COM said:
“More and more young companies are starting
up in the world of e-commerce without properly considering the
potential legal pitfalls.
“Whilst it’s always great to see innovative
new ventures achieving success in the new economy, all too often
many of them fail as a result of not being properly prepared before
launching.
“UpStartNetwork is a tremendous facility for
young entrepreneurs and business leaders of the future. Some of the
best business ideas come from university undergraduates who have
the vision but not quite the knowledge or experience to facilitate
them. Here they have access to industry leaders and a host of other
advisers and will benefit hugely from their advice.
“Mentoring has long since been the key to
successful entrepreneurs but with a new age of entrepreneurs now in
place thanks to e-commerce, someone had to take the lead in guiding
future talent and UpStartNetwork has taken the initiative by
expanding its network.”
UpStart’s first event will be held on 24th October in
Bristol.
To date, the organisation has hosted three entrepreneur forums
which have been attended by over 200 people. One of the six
ex-students who founded the project, Jeremy Sugden, expects the
numbers attending the events to increase significantly. He
said:
“The response has been phenomenal. We seem
to have struck a chord amongst the growing number of students keen
to start up their own businesses and have no doubt that our
experiences in Oxford and Bristol will be mirrored throughout the
UK.
“We will hold three forums at the ten
locations each year together with a follow up workshop three weeks
after each. The workshops will be run in-house featuring outside
speakers from industry, venture capitalists and law firms.
“It’s great to have the backing of such an
established law firm as Masons and its OUT-LAW.COM service will
undoubtedly be of great use to the upstart companies as they begin
trading on the internet.
“Attendees will have access to the best
legal advice in relation to several key issues which face them in
the early days of their venture such as formation of the company,
shareholders agreements, advertising and sponsorship agreements and
applications for registration to various bodies.
“These forums will prove vital for young
companies of the new economy and I would urge more people with a
start-up in mind to come along to the events and make the most of
the advice on offer."
