Westminster’s Student Founders awarded £90,000 in funding and access to their own new co-working space in Zone29

Students and alumni were welcomed to celebrate the launch of Venture with tours of the space, alongside refreshments from Zone29’s Cafe, which was recently awarded the U Dine Award. During the event attendees had the chance to speak to Vinit Shah, WeNetwork's in-house sales and client management expert, where they received tailored advice, had the chance to ask questions and discussed the challenges and opportunities that had arisen within their businesses.

Vinit Shah

Students who sign up to WeNetwork’s services and actively engage with them gain free access to the co-working space. It is designed specifically for entrepreneurial work, rather than general study, providing an environment that supports productivity, collaboration and growth. Venture also offers bookable desks, a soundproof private pod for calls and a fully equipped meeting room suitable for a range of professional meetings. Shared desks are also fitted with screens to support effective team collaboration. 

Alongside WeNetwork’s services, students can also access other Zone29 facilities, including the digital studio and maker space, enabling them to develop their products and marketing strategies.

The opening followed the Summer Community Mixer that took place in May, where students and alumni delivered 60‑second pitches outlining their ventures and were awarded £90,000 between them in funding to accelerate their entrepreneurial journeys.

During the event, the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Bonfield and Linsey Cole, Director of Business Engagement and Graduate Futures, shared advice and encouragement with the entrepreneurs before an evening of networking, drinks and food.

The event was part of the University’s new WeNetwork Zone29 offering, where students and graduates can apply for four types of funding opportunities. The offer is structured across four stages, each with increasing levels of support and funding. The first stage, Explore, provides an introduction to the programme and access to core support. This is followed by Ideate, which is designed for early-stage ideas in the research and planning phase, with successful applicants receiving a £500 grant and access to Zone29 facilities. The third stage, Validate, supports those developing prototypes or testing a minimum viable product (MVP) with initial users, offering a £2,500 grant and continued access to facilities. The final stage, Activate, is aimed at ventures that are already trading, generating revenue or preparing to scale, with participants eligible for up to £5,000 in funding.

The Summer Community Mixer offered a space for the Validate and Activate cohorts to make their pitches, with Validate funding being provided by the Quintin Hogg Trust (QHT), and the Activate funding supported through a mix of the QHT, Santander Universities UK and donations from alumni members Graham Hobson and Tej Lalvani.

Westminster alumnus Zahra Karim, Founder of EXOTIC SKN ®, said: “Receiving funding through WeNetwork has meant that I can reach my business goals faster, cross important milestones in less time and see real growth and progress as EXOTIC SKN® moves forward with momentum. The WeNetwork team has provided truly world-class support, from expert advice and increased visibility to opening doors I could never have imagined. The community has also given me so much confidence, belief and genuine friendships centered on growth. Overall, the belief and support from WeNetwork has helped strengthen and develop my business from an ambitious early-stage brand into a clearer, more commercially focused and more confident luxury self-care brand with real momentum behind it.”

Nicole Piedrahita, Careers and Enterprise Administrator at WeNetwork, added: “The Community Mixer was an incredible event to be a part of. It was truly exciting to see the space come to life with the energy and passion of our talented entrepreneurs as they pitched their ideas and explained how the funding provided by our programme is indispensable in boosting their businesses to the next step. I am excited to see how our WeNetwork resources will help this cohort flourish even more!”

The new Venture space directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4: Quality Education, 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

Find out more about the Westminster Enterprise Network at the University of Westminster.