SEED Fund Snapshots & Updates A review of the major achievements and developments of the PROGRAMME so far
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he SEED Fund was set up for UAL students and graduates, to give them the opportunity to develop a creative idea into a sustainable business or practice. Students/graduates can also apply for the fund if they have an existing project or early-stage business that they want to develop further. Student Enterprise & Employability (SEE) wants to support the creative community at UAL to create innovative projects and businesses. We have a series of grants, up to £5,000, available. Awardees can also access a special business and intellectual property support programme. Applicants need not have a track-record in developing projects - we simply want to find creative people with good ideas and help them to flourish.
The SEED Fund aims are to:
• ENABLE creative start-ups by supporting prototype, proof-of-concept or test-trial of new and innovative ideas, business planning and access to professional services or specialist expertise.
• EMPOWER creative entrepreneurs by providing business support and legal advice. • ENGAGE creative practitioners by providing an accessible platform for experimentation, networking and cross-disciplinary collaboration. This funding is made possible through the Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) from 2012 until 2015. Since its launch in January 2012, the SEED Fund has supported 21 new businesses with help from various partners. We would like to share our achievements with you and invite you to join us going forward.
SEED Fund: the story so far
launched
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JAN 2012
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21
new businesses
funded so far
6 fashion & fashion accessories 4 product design 3 Branding & design consultancies 3 social enterprises
2 publishing 1 live events company 1 illustration 1 textile design
SEED Fund: the story so far
23 mentors recruited including partners such as Deutsche Bank, UnLtd, BITC & UAL Alumni Association
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15 entrepreneurs matched with mentors
SEED Fund: the story so far
funds committed so far:
from 6 rounds, including 2 live pitches
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£25,000 Unltd match funding for social enterprises
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international graduates supported under the ‘Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa’
SEE snapshots: awardees & mentors
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Peter Tsang COEUR
developed two new silk and garment collections
won Shell Livewire Grand Ideas Award in May 2012
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www.coeur.uk.com
Playfully preppy - coeur is the menswear lifestyle brand for the modern day dandy. Ingrained into the clothing is the signature 100% silk jacquard fabric woven exclusively at one of England’s finest fabric mills. Luxurious and colourful, fused with slimcut clothing and quirky men’s neckwear for the youthful and confident gentleman. Inspired by classics such as Brideshead Revisited and Great Gatsby, coeur represents a lifestyle for contemporary living.
Carine Donges Deutsche Bank, mentor I did not have any particular expectations apart from helping on finance aspects of the business. In reality, given the stage of development of the business, it is more about discussing general ideas and strategy, which is great from my perspective because it allows me to see the multiple challenges faced by any entrepreneur, and not just the finance aspects of it.
Peter Tsang Carine has been pro-active and has actually done a small amount of work in her own time outside of meetings and holds a keen interest in the project. Carine has been supportive/enthusiastic and I think that this is key as part of the programme.
featured in 3 pop-up stores over summer 2012
acquired 4 online stockists
SEE snapshots: awardees & mentors Lisa Edoff Lisa Edoff design Lisa Edoff Design is a contemporary surface design company that offers unique and quirky pattern designs. Lisa aims to launch a product range with her designs, including kitchen trays, bags, phone and laptop cases and stationary items.
Vi-Nhat Dang Deutsche Bank, mentor The programme matches my expectations in two ways: Good skill match between what Lisa needs for her business and what I can offer; and good personality match: Lisa and I were able to discuss/challenge each other but at the same time were able to agree on the main steps, both short-term and long-term, for her business. I like the fact that the programme is highly flexible, allowing us to structure the mentoring in a way that is most convenient and beneficial to us. .
LISA EDOFF My mentor has helped me a lot with business planning, ideas for marketing, how to prepare a pitch etc. She also helps me with sales revenue and cost projections. I think the mentorship has exceeded my expectations, I didn’t think my mentor would be so enthusiastic and involved in my business as she is! We have a really good relationship and she comes up with ideas and helps me in a lot of areas, not just with the “numbers”.
developed four products: 3 trays and 1 cheese board. Lisa has received her first stock batch of 300 trays/boards in total
got through to the semi-final of the National Varsity Pitch competition by NACUE
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www.edoffdesign.com
partnered up with online retailer ‘Not On The High Street’ and started to sell her products online
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SEE snapshots: awardees & mentors Gemma Land
designed new spring/summer 2013 scarf collection samples and lookbook created
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www.gemmaland.com
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Award winning British artist, Gemma Land, has launched an accessory line under her own name label. She was awarded the Wolf & Badger Graduate Design Award in 2011 and the Creative Archive Award in 2010. Land’s background is in Fine Art Photography, graduating from the much-acclaimed MA at London College of Communication. Her style is unique, fusing her photographic art with the function of scarves; she likes to play with architecture and often uses symmetry to create impossible structures and hallucinogenic patterns. Her aesthetic lies between the romantic and the gothic, creating beautiful and yet often somewhat unsettling imagery. She will be aiming to push the photographic print in fashion into new directions.
Matteo Ferrera Hackett, mentor The programme has met my expectations well, as it has put me in a position to be able to use the knowledge I have gained in my career to help someone who is starting out. It also helps learn more about myself and how I work by monitoring someone else through their projects.
Gemma Land I have had a few meetings with my mentor so far and he has given me some useful guidelines to help me organise my work.
in discussions with luxury brand to create a scarf collection
SEE snapshots: awardees & mentors
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Jan HendzeL HENDZEL + HUNT Hendzel & Hunt are furniture designer makers who use reclaimed and sustainable materials, to create original bespoke products and their own range, Made in Peckham. The majority of their furniture begins their life as overlooked timber, such as palette wood or old structural beams. These materials are imbued with a narrative; their stories add depth and at times dictate the outcome of the product, which is unattainable with virgin raw materials. The dedicated multidisciplinary team strives to bridge the gap between creativity and engineering, through considered application of materials and a unique approach to the design process.
Jan HENDZEL Our mentor (Claire Walsh, The Brunswick Group) showed a lot of enthusiasm with our projects and seemed very supportive. She is helping us draft our next project which involves a partnership with a TV Channel in order to transform the Hendzel and Hunt 24HR Design Challenge into a TV series. We felt incredibly supported and this is a valuable programme to help young enterprises.
hosted the 24HR Design Challenge in August, took part in Designers Block during London Design Week, showcasing new products and the presentation of 24HR Design Challenge
in discussions with the British Council regarding the 24HR Design Challenge and its international potential
www.hendzelandhunt.com
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invited to be one of Kevin McCloud’s Green Heroes, showcased Hendzel + Hunt’s products in the Grand Designs Live in Birmingham in talks with a television production company to get the 24HR Design Challenge commissioned for a national series, alongside being approached by others to produce the concept
SEE snapshots: awardees & mentors
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Dinu Bodiciu
designed the new range
purchased diffusion line fabrics and made samples
produced the moulds for the couture line (plaster / jasmonite / foam) and fabricated samples to find the best way to finish and to sustain the structures
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www.dinubodiciu.com
Dinu Bodiciu is a London-based womenswear and millinery designer. A recent graduate of London College of Fashion, he was featured in Wallpaper Magazine amongst the best fashion design talent of 2011 and was one of the finalists in the International Talent Support 2011 accessories competition, the only accessories competition in the world. Bodiciu’s practice is an exploration of the human body, its shapes and particularities. With a strong focus on high-end crafted designs contextualized within contemporary fashion, Bodiciu’s millinery design is defined by an reinterpretation of unconventional textiles, from natural fibers to resins and ready-made objects alongside an innovative use of 3D print technology.
Dinu Bodiciu My mentor (Michael Lynch, Deutsche Bank) is giving me feedback and guidance, pointing out some of the strengths and weaknesses of my plan and what actions might seem better to have in mind. I feel that the main goals that we set up in the first meeting are getting clearer and clearer any time we meet and in parallel with the development of the project. I find that the whole mentoring programme makes me aware about all the business aspects of developing a brand and stimulated me to pursue a business driven research.
contacted a company to produce an aluminium block for the diffusion line design, in order to externalise production of a diffusion line
3D printing is scheduled for November 2012
SEE snapshots: awardees & mentors Cleo Ferin CLEO ferin mercury Cleo Ferin Mercury is an independent London-based brand that designs fun and quirky accessories for style lovers the world over. Capturing the romance and adventure within us all, Cleo and Chris’ silk scarves pay homage to heritage designs, adding a playful and unique twist. The brand was launched in 2010 ,debuting with a collection of six narrative-based silk scarves and has now expanded to five collections of silk scarves and various accessories, made entirely in the UK.
Russell Hammond The Scaphan Network, mentor (The mentorship programme is) a great way for young entrepreneurs to get great advice that really helps them grow their business for free.
Cleo Ferin Russell plays a very important part already in our business as he brings us a financial point of view and knows step-by-step how to establish a brand in the fashion scene. We have started by analysing our customer profile, research on our silk scarf competitors and establish our position in the silk scarf market in order to target our audience in the right way. I feel we completely needed his expertise and experience to be able to take our business forward. I feel privileged to have Russell as a mentor knowing that his consultancy is highly valued in the fashion world. He really inspires us and helps us develop the step by step strategies we need.
designed a collection of 4 leather and canvas bags which were then printed in the UK and produced in Casablanca, Morocco
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www.cleoferinmercury.co.uk
showcased bags along with a selection of silk accessories at the Top Drawer trade show, Olympia London in September 2012
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SEE soundbites
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The mentoring is run effectively and depends on the match between awardee, product and us experts. In my case it works great! Polly Larner, mentor
Every day brings I think it is an important programme, which I believe can and should bring value to all parties involved. Andrew Cowell, mentor
Fashion moves REALLY quickly! Critical paths do not go to plan - no matter how well planned it is. Peter Tsang, awardee
It is a great opportunity to give creative talents to further develop and achieve the next level on themselves. Thomas Hegnauer, mentor
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This is an amazing scheme. There should be more opportunities like this. It helps to reduce the gap between being a creative student and a creative professional. Bridging that gap, I believe, is probably the greatest challenge that any young creative person has to face in his/her lifetime. Francesco Pastori , awardee
new challenges. Jan Hendzel, awardee
Everything takes longer than you think! And anything that could go wrong probably will... Emma Kalkhoven, awardee
It’s well organised and I appreciate that there is an attempt to match both the professional interest of the mentor with the business of the awardee. Kevin Padayachee, mentor
the platform and exposure they need n their path to successfully establish
SEED Fund awardees: full list
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AWARDEES CLEO FERIN Cleo Ferin Mercury
Accessory designer
Dinu Bodiciu
Womenswear and millinery designer
Emily Bailey First Shoots
Social enterprise in film
Emma Kalkhoven i.e. (in other words)
Gift designer
Eva Liparova Clownfishtank
Design consultancy
Eva Weinmayr and Lynn Harris AND Public
Print-on-demand platform
Fernando Laposse The Sweet Glass Factory
Confectionery designer
Francesco Pastori Imaginary Party
New club night
Gemma Land
Fashion accessories designer
Hwasoo Shim I-UM Project
E-magazine
Jan Hendzel Hendzel & Hunt
Furniture designers
Jennifer Morris Lisa Edoff Lisa Edoff Design
Fashion designer Contemporary surface design company
Liv Stevens and Lea Berger Blinky the Pinhole Camera Martina Giulianelli Food for Good
Social enterprise
Nadia Anne-Ricketts Beatwoven
Digital textiles label
Peter Jeun Ho Tsang Coeur
Menswear lifestyle brand
RenÊe Lacroix and Zahra Ash-Harper Antithesis Shiho Shuto Feeelit Ltd Suzanne O’Connell The Decorators Tilley Harris Voist
Product design
Womenswear Mobile app developers
Multi-disciplinary design collective Creative collective
mentors & partners
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see would like to thank the following partners for supporting the seed fund programme
Business in the community (Bitc) | central saint martins innovation centre deutsche Bank | london Business school | natwest | own-it | UAl Alumni Association Unltd
volUnteer mentors AlisdAir AldoUs Research & Enterprise Collaborations Development Manager, UAL AmeliA henderson International Project Development Officer (LCC), UAL Andy cowell Co-Founder, 59 Strings Ltd AnGelA drisdAle-Gordon Lecturer (LCF), UAL Annick colins Business Relationship Manager (CCW Collective), UAL cArine donGes Associate (Markets), Deutsche Bank cAroline BAylon Head of International Portfolio (LCC), UAL chitrA BUckley Course Leader (MA Fashion Entrepreneurship) (LCF), UAL chris linford Head of Digital Media (LCC), UAL clAire wAlsh Director, The Brunswick Group eliZABeth cAmeron Business Relationship Manager (CCW Collective), UAL hAmish clifton Managing Director, London Artscom Ltd & Commercial Director, UAL kevin pAdAyAchee Finance Manager (RREEF Europe), Deutsche Bank kevin hoGAn Deutsche Bank mAtt wAtkins Creative Director, Haunch of Venison & Owner, Matt Watkins Design mAtteo ferrArA Merchandiser, Hackett michAel lynch AVP (HR MI), Deutsche Bank polly lArner Senior Lecturer, Communications for the Promotional, Creative & Cultural Industries (LCC), UAL rUssell hAmmond Founding Partner, The Scaphan Network rUssell mArtin Programme Manager (Artquest), UAL tAniA jAckson Managing Director, Red Idea Marketing and Business Consultancy thomAs heGnAUer Associate, Deutsche Bank vi-nhAt dAnG AVP, Lead Risk & Control Analyst (Global Business Services), Deutsche Bank
seed fund future plans
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ongoing
Expanding Mentorship Programme
jun 2013
London Business School ‘Summer Entrepreneur Programme’
mar 2013
CSM ‘Next Level’ Business Bootcamp
jan to mar 2013
Showroom exhibition
jan 2013
‘Own-it Direct’ IP Advice Programme
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