University of Lincoln has produced 10th most start-up businesses in England, study finds

New research shows that the University of Lincoln has produced almost 600 start-up businesses in recent years, among the most in the whole country.

A study, carried out by leading business financial platform Tide, revealed the universities that have produced the most graduate start-ups, including sole traders, since 2014/15.

The figures are sourced from the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s intellectual property, start-ups and spin-offs data, referring to graduates between the 2014/15 and 2019/20 academic years.

Royal College of Art in London tops the list with 1,655, as the University of Lincoln came in tenth place with 594; the most in the whole of the East Midlands and the sixth most of any university outside of London.

The Lincolnite itself is a University of Lincoln graduate start-up business, demonstrating the success that can be achieved with help from our city’s higher education sector.

Ruchi Aggarwal, Associate Professor and Director of Business Development, Lincoln International Business School, said: “We are delighted the university has been recognised nationally for such an important agenda as the creation of start-up and growth mindsets via student businesses.

“The University of Lincoln is dedicated to working with students and organisations to find solutions that enhance the contribution of business to society.

“For our students, that means developing their business skills and knowledge so they can graduate and make a difference in industry as responsible leaders ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century. This accolade is testament to that focus and vision.”

It has been a good year for the University of Lincoln, having risen from 52nd to 34th in this year’s Best UK Universities rankings from The Guardian.

As well as this, the uni got the chance to exhibit its cutting edge technology at COP26 in Glasgow, showcasing the net zero robot farmers that were developed at the University of Lincoln.

Ruchi gives two examples of great local startups birthed from University of Lincoln Students, adding: “Distract is a great example of student enterprise.

“An award winning high growth digital marketing agency, Distract was set up in Lincoln in 2015 by two ex Lincoln students Peter Watson and Bradley McKenny (Marketing, 2016, Lincoln International Business School).

“Incubation spaces at the University – Sparkhouse, Think Tank were offered to Distract from 2016-2019, offering them hi-tech, energy efficient, cost effective and eco-friendly spaces that encourage creative thinking, as well as business growth.

“Another young and upcoming business start up is Associate, set up by Declan and Luke (Business and Management, 2018, Lincoln International Business School), whose group project in class won a grant for £1000, was invested wisely to create their minimal viable product and is eyeing big growth in the immediate future.

“Associate is a digital communications platform, for and by students, that aims to improve collaboration and hence productivity of real-time student learning experiences.”