• Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes
• Scottish Government’s Chief Entrepreneur Ana Stewart
• Alumnus and entrepreneur Amar Latif
• Senior Enterprise Fellow Calum Paterson
• CFO of Strathclyde spin out ENOUGH, Elaine Ferguson 

as well as a range of panel discussions from researchers and business founders.

Next generation 

More than £180,000 worth of funding was awarded at the event to entrepreneurial ventures and individuals through initiatives including our Inspire100 pitch competition, which has been supporting next generation innovators for more than two decades (a full list of award winners is published below). 

The strategy outlines four goals: nurturing changemakers; supporting diverse entrepreneurial opportunities; guiding founders towards capital; and empowering growth businesses. 

Its overarching mission is to provide robust and inclusive support for entrepreneurial individuals and ventures, both within and beyond the University, at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey. 

A key element of the strategy is defining entrepreneurship as being ‘beyond business’ to nurture entrepreneurial thinkers more widely who can create a powerful community of changemakers, and the Summit featured a unique celebration of students from across the university’s four faculties in a new Inspiring Entrepreneurial Strathclyder exhibition.  

From the Netball Team committee’s stellar efforts fundraising nearly £10,000 for the Antony Nolan Trust, to students creating value for their peers through mental health workshops, business creation workshops, a multidisciplinary symposium and fun nights designed to take the shame out of failure, the exhibition showcased nine examples of students using entrepreneurial skills to reach their personal and professional goals. 

Drive innovation 

Fiona Ireland, Head of Entrepreneurship Strategy, said:

At Strathclyde, we purposefully define entrepreneurship as beyond the act of starting a business. We recognise the transformative power of developing people with entrepreneurial mindsets who can challenge existing norms, drive innovation, seek opportunity and move towards a better future. Expanding our focus from an institutional level to a societal level, we will also extend our reach beyond the walls of the University, beginning with a number of schools participating in the Summit.

The Summit’s two sessions for schools focused on building entrepreneurial mindsets from an early age. 

In a workshop designed for primary schools by entrepreneurship academics Dr Suzanne Mawson and Lucrezia Casulli, pupils from St Thomas Aquinas explored the RECCO Crew—illustrated storybooks and resources the academics have created to introduce entrepreneurial mindset skills in P1–P3. Funded by the Scottish Government, the resources will be freely available to educators from August 2025. 

In a second workshop, pupils from John Paul Academy, Lochend Community High School, High School of Glasgow, and St Michael’s Primary in Dumbarton built on their experiences in entrepreneurial programmes like YES and START. They explored next steps for their ventures and co-designed ideas for how universities like Strathclyde can support their journeys. 

Transformative approach 

The Summit also offered an opportunity to look back on the many successes of the previous strategic period. Since the inaugural university-wide entrepreneurship strategy was launched in 2020 – the first of its kind in Scotland – the university has  supported the creation of 106 start-ups and spin-outs, witnessed its founders winning the Converge Challenge main category more often than any other university, helped sustainable food producer Enough secure Scotland’s second-largest investment deal in 2023, and been named European Entrepreneurial University of the Year in 2023.

In addition, Strathclyde has raised £8m in equity returns and generated licensing income of £3.7m. It has witnessed its 33 portfolio companies create 332 new jobs, and helped investee companies raise a total of £152.4m across 51 deals – with an average of £2.99m per deal, 45% higher than the Scottish average for high growth investment. 

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Strathclyde, said:

Our new strategy aims to go beyond our growing success as a leading entrepreneurial campus so we can create a new standard for entrepreneurship in the university sector. This transformative approach represents more than an institutional strategy; it is a blueprint for universities in the 21st century.

In recognition of his long-standing commitment to entrepreneurship at Strathclyde, Sir Jim was presented with the Inspiring Entrepreneurship Special Recognition Award at the Summit. Over nearly two decades, he has chaired the University’s entrepreneurship steering group, supported key initiatives, and brought creativity, ambition and challenge to every discussion. His belief in the transformative power of entrepreneurship has shaped our culture, strengthened our strategy, and inspired our community. 

The Principal said:

The Strathclyde team that deliver these activities themselves exemplify the best of our entrepreneurial spirit through their innovative approaches, pushing our risk appetite and focusing on delivery.  I am very proud of this distinctive feature of Strathclyde’s strategy and the contribution it allows us to make locally, nationally and internationally.