DMU Graduates’ Start-Ups To Boost Business In Africa

Five enterprising and socially aware De Montfort University (DMU) graduates have secured a contract with a Leicestershire-based initiative to help new businesses thrive in Africa and other developing areas.

The five graduates will bring the skills of their two start-up businesses based at DMU’s Innovation Centre to aid the Geo-POD non-governmental organisation (NGO) to boost education, health and employment in disadvantaged regions.

The Geo-POD initiative aims to adapt used shipping containers into building blocks of sustainable development; providing secure access to training, health services and employment.

The two start-up firms, Whiteroom Productions and Ten Five Design, have won the project to rebrand and redesign Geo-Pod’s website, adding animation and video and exploiting the potential of social networking to add momentum to the project.

Whiteroom and Ten Five Design share a studio at DMU’s Innovation Centre and often collaborate. Whiteroom is primarily a web and interactive design firm and Ten Five provides graphic design and illustration, and in particular develops graphic and animated characters.

Ten Five Design was set up at the start of 2008 by Peter Popham and Martin Lewis. Whiteroom Productions is run by Jack Everard, Jamie Standbridge and John Hammond and began business life last summer. All five are aged between 21 and 24 and graduated from DMU in the summer of 2007.

Geo-POD has been developed as a concept over the past three years by John Coster, of Kibworth. He is liaising with several departments at DMU on various aspects of the Geo-POD, such as design and engineering. He said: “I expect to work with Jack and the other guys for a long time to come. We met at the right moment, as we now have a management team, an investor lined up and a marketing strategy.”

Jack Everard said: “Geo-POD is a really positive thing to be involved with. It is optimistic and assertive and that is what we want our businesses to be like too.”

Other Whiteroom Productions projects in the pipeline include an interactive game called Ezal Enteractive, to teach children aged nine to 14 about sustainability. Jack Everard’s idea for the game won two business awards last year. Ten Five Design is poised to launch a collection of clothing aimed at the youth market and featuring characters created by the business.

Janette Pallas, Business Incubation and Enterprise Manager at DMU, said: “The five are all enthusiastic new entrepreneurs and are socially aware, to them starting up is not just to make money but a way to do positive things in a wider social context.”

Janette, recently awarded a Queens Award for Enterprise Promotion for her work at DMU promoting enterprise and supporting start-up businesses, said: “They are quick learners and are continuing to train and enhance their skills. I have high hopes of them and think they will be very successful.”

All five say they are pleased to be able to remain in Leicestershire after graduation. Jamie Standbridge is originally from Wales, while Jack Everard is from Haverhill in Suffolk. John Hammond is from Somerset and Peter Popham is from Whetstone. All four now live in Leicester; while Martin Lewis lives in his home town of Loughborough.

Martin Lewis said: “Setting up the business has been hard work but it’s been a really satisfying experience. Helping graduates to launch businesses will encourage more of them to stay in Leicestershire and the East Midlands instead of moving away.”

DMU Press Release 29th May 2008

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•