Join our panel of alumni entrepreneurs as they discuss their experiences of building a successful start-up. They will share insights from their own journeys as well as advice for any students or graduates looking to start on or advance in their own entrepreneurship journey.
There will also be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions.
This event is organised in collaboration with the Westminster Enterprise Network, who will be on hand to discuss the Elevate business support programme.
The event is free to attend, but you must book your place in advance.
About the speakers
Chair: Dr Irene Brew-Riverson, Senior Lecturer, School of Organisations, Economy and Society, University of Westminster
Irene has worked in Further and Higher Education for over 26 years. As the Course Leader for the BA Business Management (Entrepreneurship) programme, she is involved with supporting students who wish to become entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.
Irene has a micro cake business that she runs from home and is also involved in a Real Estate Project in Ghana, West Africa. She co-founded a charity for high school girls in 2021 with a view to facilitating social mobility through coaching and mentoring. At the beginning of 2023, she co-founded the African Speakers Bureau for Entrepreneurship to contribute to the knowledge and skill development of staff and students in African Universities.
Letitia Seglah, Founder and CEO at Lively Tuition and Head of Learning and Programmes at Do It Now Now (International Business BA, 2008)
Letitia is an ex-investment banking professional with 15 years of experience in the city. She has since gone on to start and exit several businesses, consulted 3000+ startups & SMEs, and has worked for the Executive Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises (European Commission). Through practical and accessible workshops, Letitia helps founders gain financial confidence and strategic know-how to build, grow, and scale successful businesses. Letitia is currently the Head of Learning and Programmes at Do It Now Now, an incubator and business support organisation that helps founders from underrepresented communities go from the idea stage all the way to raising investment.
Nevine Coutry, Founder & CEO at Playdate App Limited (Marketing Communications MA, 2005)
Nevine Coutry is the founder of Playdate, the UK’s first dating app for single parents. After completing her Marketing Communications MA at Westminster, Nevine established her own marketing agency. Initially working with a few smaller clients from Egypt who wanted to break into the UK market, Nevine’s agency quickly grew and acquired clients from all over the world.
As a travel and hospitality marketing agency, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Nevine’s business hard and she was unable to continue her marketing agency while homeschooling her son as a working single mother. Nevine took the closing of her marketing agency as an opportunity to enter a different industry and created Playdate. Drawing on her personal experience and marketing expertise, Nevine’s dating app Playdate now has nearly 50,000 users.
Piril Buran, Co-Founder at PawsApp (Investment and Risk Finance MSc, 2018)
Piril Buran is an entrepreneur with a background in Business Strategy and Finance. She completed her Master's degree at Westminster Business School, specializing in Investment and Risk Finance, and gained valuable experience in Private Equity and Corporate Finance.
Motivated by her entrepreneurial drive, Piril co-founded Pawsapp, an app that connects dog owners with local caregivers on-demand. Pawsapp utilizes smart technology to ensure every match is perfect, offering personalized care. The Pawsapp team is dedicated to revolutionizing the European pet care market, providing tailored solutions for all pet care needs and setting a new industry standard.
Dr Wareed Alenaini, Founder of Twinn Health (PhD, 2019)
Dr Wareed Alenaini is a Saudi-born and raised biotech entrepreneur, scientist, and advocate for longevity. She is the founder and CEO of Twinn Health, a London-based MedTech startup developing an AI-driven imaging platform for the early detection of age-related diseases. Twinn Health's platform has the potential to revolutionise healthcare by enabling clinicians to identify patients at risk of developing chronic diseases up to ten years earlier than current methods.
Alenaini founded Twinn Health to commercialize her research on AI-driven imaging for early disease detection. Alenaini is a passionate advocate for longevity and the use of technology to improve human health. She is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been featured in numerous media and tech outlets, including WIRED magazine.
