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Aspiring entrepreneur will attend Kauffman Global Scholars Program

The SETsquared Partnership, one of the UK’s most successful university collaborations, has announced the results of its competition to find a student to take part in the Kauffman Global Scholars Program, an entrepreneurship learning opportunity.

The winner is 21 year-old Shaun Miller, who is an economics undergraduate at the University of Bristol. Applicants from across the five universities’ 90,000 students were assessed on their proposals for high-growth businesses. The judging panel chose Miller because of his entrepreneurial ideas, his ambition and his potential to be an excellent ambassador for SETsquared in the US and UK. Miller is already a serial entrepreneur having started two previous ventures.

Miller’s winning entry was a motion tracking device that connects with mobile phones and computers. Including hardware and software, the new device will have a wide range of applications.

“This scholarship is just part of SETsquared’s activities to support student enterprise – as well as giving one student a life-changing opportunity, the winner becomes a great advocate for entrepreneurship on their return, and they can share the experiences and knowledge they gain in the USA,” said Dave Jarman, chair of the selection panel, and head of enterprise education at the University of Bristol.  

“Shaun is full of ideas, he has real entrepreneurial ambition, and he’s already inspirational to the students around him – he’ll make a great ambassador for both SETsquared in the US and for the Kauffman Foundation here in the UK,” said Jarman.

“The scholarship will give me a great chance to meet amazing people from around the world, and to find out from the best young minds what’s on the horizon,” said Miller. “I’m looking forward to learning from some of the most respected professors and entrepreneurs in the world, going to Silicon Valley, and the internship in a technology company – it’s an incredible opportunity.”

The fully funded programme will run from September 2012 to June 2013. It includes six months in the US, exposing the elite group of Kauffman Global Scholars to some of America’s most innovative entrepreneurial professors, experts, universities and companies. Miller will spend time at the Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City; participate in an intense study tour of MIT, Harvard and Stanford, and experience a three-month placement with a start up company. He will also spend the year as SETsquared ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ to help, advocate and develop student enterprise across the Partnership as well as allowing him to develop his business concept with support from the SETsquared team.

Talking about his experience, Alistair Shepherd, SETsquared’s current Kauffman Global Scholar said: “I’ve been given the confidence, knowledge and support to take my own venture to new heights, to think more deeply, to analyse more carefully and to progress more quickly than before. I now feel ready to tackle the challenges of founding and growing my own company.”

The Kauffman Global Scholars Program is only one of the many ways SETsquared supports student entrepreneurship. A year-long programme of activities includes the Deloitte business pitching contest, Xing business planning, enterprise boot camps and the Student Enterprise Awards, which this year will be held at the University of Surrey on 24^th May. They are also holding an “apprentice” style trading day at Spitalfields Market called Uni Popshop on June 28^th when student teams will compete to see who can make the most profit in one day.