The inaugural cohort of the new Entrepreneurship Lab programme at King’s College, Cambridge, will launch on 26 September. The Lab’s co-directors are Dr Kamiar Mohaddes, University Senior Lecturer in Economics & Policy at Cambridge Judge and a Fellow of King’s College, and Dr Thomas Roulet, University Senior Lecturer in Organisation Theory and Deputy Director of the MBA Programme at Cambridge Judge, Fellow in Sociology at Girton College, and a Bye-Fellow of King’s College.
The 19 students in the first cohort come from a wide range of subjects including computer science, politics, genetics, and economics. They will begin a week-long residential training programme prior to the start of the new academic term, with a series of events, workshops and talks following on throughout the year.
The directorship of Kamiar and Thomas at the new Lab reflects a movement to strengthen ties between Cambridge Judge and the collegiate University of Cambridge community, in this case regarding entrepreneurship. This year is the largest Cambridge Judge intake of students matriculating at King’s, including eight Executive MBA students, four MBA students, and seven students on the Masters in Entrepreneurship programme at the Business School.
Established thanks to a generous donation, the King’s Entrepreneurship Lab is designed to equip students with entrepreneurial skills and support those wishing to explore a career path in innovation, entrepreneurship and business, with an emphasis on developing sustainable and ethical projects with a positive social and environmental impact. Open to all current King’s students and encouraging diverse entrepreneurs-to-be, the year-long programme will culminate in the opportunity to receive seed funding to take their ideas forward.
Says Kamiar: “We are very excited about launching the Lab on 26 September. The launch will include a panel discussion with Mike Proctor (Provost, King’s College, Cambridge), Gemma Chandratillake (KC, 1997), Malcolm McKenzie (Chair of the Lab Advisory Board, KC 1977), Andy Neely (Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Enterprise and Business Relations, University of Cambridge), and Sarah Wood (KC 1992) on: The Role of Business in Addressing Global Crises and Societal Change.”
Says Thomas: “Despite what one might think, management is a skill that is not only learnt on the job for entrepreneurs – there are many frameworks, ideas and approaches that are crucial for entrepreneurs’ development in order for them to take their ideas to fruition. The objective of this programme is to provide essential business and entrepreneurial skills to King’s College students outside of Cambridge Judge Business School. We hope that they gain the knowledge and interest to explore additional opportunities at Cambridge Judge with the School’s Entrepreneurship Centre or the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation.”
Activities of the Lab can be followed on the King’s Entrepreneurship Lab Twitter page.