What support can I get?

beepurple runs panel events, workshops and competitions throughout the academic year, designed to build your entrepreneurial skill set, improve your employability and help you grow a successful business.

We also offer you one-to-one mentoring and advice sessions to provide you with a sounding board for your ideas, put you in touch with experts and help you to develop your startup plans.

While we are still largely off campus during the first half of 2021, all events and one-to-one business support meetings will be delivered online.

any questions? 

Email: beepurple@brighton.ac.uk

Entrepreneurship workshops

We put together topical workshops and founder panels to help you to develop your enterprise skills and entrepreneurial ideas.

Until we are all back on the campus for real, we will host all our workshops online.

You can attend as many or as few sessions as you like. All workshops are FREE to students, graduates and staff. Make sure you book early as spaces are limited.

You will meet a range of like-minded peers and have the opportunity to talk to recent graduates who have taken the leap and set up businesses or charities since leaving university. Established local entrepreneurs and recent graduates who’ve set up their own ventures also come in to share their advice and business experiences (both good and bad!).

Book a place on our upcoming workshops

One-to-one business support

Not sure if your idea has any legs? Need some input to help take your business to the next stage? Wherever you're at with your business or idea, the beepurple team is happy to meet you on a one-to-one basis and offer guidance.

Until we are all back on the campus, we will offer you support by telephone or video calls.

Please email the beepurple team at beepurple@brighton.ac.uk to book a one-to-one meeting.

Santander University of Brighton Ideas competition

Our Ideas Competition seeks out and rewards the best entrepreneurial ideas. We run two competitions per academic year. The first competition takes place in the autumn term, and the second competition takes place in the spring term. There are prizes of up to £1000 and a package of business support including mentoring from established entrepreneurs, for the winners.

 

UltraViolet Intensive Summer Course

UltraViolet is an intensive five day start-up summer course which runs immediately after the end of the summer term each year.

By the end of the week, you will have developed the following skills:

  • Business ideas development and creative thinking
  • Opportunity seeking and analysis
  • Negotiation and selling
  • communication and networking
  • Marketing
  • Financial planning
  • Business planning
  • Leadership


You will also learn about the legalities of starting up a business and how to protect your intellectual property, have the chance to meet local entrepreneurs, and learn from their successes and experiences of setting up and running a business.

The course will be full of practical challenges to put your skills to the test and include a Charity Challenge, where you will be fundraising for a local charity, and you will also have the chance to enter an elevator pitch competition to win £200!

Ultraviolet is designed for all students and graduates who would like to develop their own business ideas and gain some essential enterprise skills relevant for self-employment or employment.

Please note this course is for students and graduates of the University of Brighton. We can, on occasion, accept applications from outside the university, however student and graduate bookings will always be prioritised.

 

Other sources of business support

Outside of the university there are other organisations that can help with one-to-one advice, funding, networking and work space.

Advice and networking

Chambers of Commerce

A vital network run for and by local businesses. They run networking events and training workshops with the aim of connecting local businesses and helping them to succeed.

One-to-one support

  • C2C Business
    Free and impartial local advice and support service.
  • Edeal
    A not-for-profit enterprise agency providing confidential and impartial business advice.
  • Let's Do Business
    A social enterprise helping businesses to start-up and grow throughout the South East of England.

Business support organisations 

  • Federation of Small Business
    Provides legal advice, insurance protection and help with financial questions for self-employed people and small businesses.
  • Thrive
    A business support organisation in Sussex on a mission to bring together female founders so that they gain the knowledge, connections and resilience they need to grow a healthy, small business.
  • UnLtd
    National support programme for aspiring social entrepreneurs and growing social enterprises. 
  • Wired Sussex
    Business development agency for over 1,200 digital and new media companies and freelancers across Sussex and the South East.

NatWest Entrepreneur Pre-Accelerator

Pre-Accelerator is designed to give entrepreneurs the power to start, scale and succeed. It is a fully-funded, quick-fire, intensive eight-week course for early-stage entrepreneurs.

Email Accelerator@natwest.com for more information.

Funding

  • Grants
    The UK government’s grant finder tool enables you to search for funding according to various criteria.
  • Start Up Loans
    The government-backed provider of loans between £500 and £25,000. No application fee and 6% interest.
  • The Prince’s Trust
    Provides money and support to help people aged 18-30 start up in business.

Equity crowdfunding

An increasingly popular way to fund high growth businesses. Platforms include:

Funding Guide

TechRound have produced a comprehensive guide on grants and funding for small businesses.

Work space

Brighton and Hove

  • Plus X - A new innovation hub with co-working space, offices and meeting rooms for hire, as well as specialist workshops for designers and makers.
  • Platf9rm
    A thriving business community in Brighton and Hove with workspaces that enable their members to flourish through collaboration
  • The Projects
    A collaborative work space in Brighton which encourages productivity whilst also inspiring creativity and collaboration.
  • The Skiff
    A co-working space, events space and social space for self-employed people in Brighton.
  • The Werks Group
    Offers affordable spaces from co-working to office space in various locations across Brighton and Hove.

Eastbourne

  • Cohub
    A community of independent and remote workers living in and around Eastbourne, East Sussex.