MA student Kath Pierce awarded second prize in the Venture Further Competition
17 May 2017
Kath Pierce, a postgraduate student on the Arts and Cultural Management course in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, has received second prize in the Venture Further Competition, which is open to students from across the University.
The prestigious prize was awarded in recognition of the company that Kath has founded called Somewhere MCR Community Interest Company. Somewhere is a new dynamic social enterprise designed to support and celebrate the LGBT+ community through innovative partnerships and cultural projects. It creates and delivers value as a new arts-based LGBT+ arts, culture, heritage and learning hub. Kath’s prize enables her to grow her company through additional money and mentoring.
Venture Further Competition is run by Manchester Enterprise Centre, the focal point for student enterprise and entrepreneurship learning across the University. Entrepreneurial talent is celebrated in the competition. Students from all disciplines have the opportunity to enter the Business, Digital, Research and Social categories and to compete for prize money totalling £50,000.
Now in its twelfth year, the competition recognises the creativity and innovation found throughout the student and postgraduate community at the University. Entering the competition can help students to enhance their CV and help their future employment option.
This year there were 16 finalists selected from a total of 73 entries. Winners were announced at an awards ceremony and dinner held in May 2017 at the University’s Whitworth Hall and attended by members of the North West business community. A keynote was delivered by Dale Murray CBE on her distinguished career as an entrepreneur and angel investor.
Kath Pierce said,
“Being runner up in the Venture Further Awards (social category) is such wonderful news for Somewhere and will help us make the most of our first LGBT+ arts projects and give us a boost with getting the word out there! It's also vital for us to engage students in all our work, so we're extra pleased that we have this extra connection and legacy with the University".
Students from across the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures have been successful in reaching the competition finals in previous years too; Insta-Lingua is an app for smart phones developed by Agathe Montre (BA Hons Modern Language and Business and Management), which was shortlisted for the Social Category in 2016. The app presents an alternative and unique approach to language learning by offering convenience, flexibility and entertainment to its users. Non-native speakers can meet and practice speaking foreign languages with native speakers, thus facilitating language learning.
Jennifer Ho (MA History) was among the Perfocal Team who were shortlisted for the final of the Digital Category in 2015. Perfocal connects photographers and clients directly, providing an ‘all-in-one” platform to manage and display portfolios, receive bookings and deliver photographs digitally.