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The idea behind Founders' Lab was inspired by firsthand exposure to the US startup ecosystem during a year abroad, alongside personal experience starting a company. We want to bring some of that startup culture to Leeds, creating an environment where students are encouraged to actively pursue their own ideas.

While existing university organisations provide valuable networking, enterprise support and educational opportunities, Founders' Lab aims to complement these through a structured, practical programme focused on building and experimentation. Students will have the opportunity to meet potential co-founders, work with people from different courses and gain experience developing a startup from scratch. Through the programme, they will be able to test their ideas with real customers, build an MVP and get feedback on their work. Students who aren't participating in the programme will still be able to attend founder talks, workshops and networking events, giving them opportunities to learn from people who have started their own companies.

We have already seen encouraging student interest, with approximately 60 interactions through our initial outreach, 45 Instagram followers and 15 completed expressions of interest, despite not yet promoting the society through course group chats. We have also established contact with CompSoc, which has expressed willingness to collaborate. Our goal is to create an environment where students interested in starting companies can find others with the same interests and actually work on ideas together.