Victoria Lennox - NACUE

At the tender age of 25, Victoria Lennox is leading her very own entrepreneurial revolution in the UK.

Lennox’s plan was to bring a nation of young and entrepreneurial students together to create a formidable group of talent, innovation and ideas. With the National Consortium of University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) she’s done just that.

“Basically NACUE is a network that champions young entrepreneurs,” says the Canadian-born Oxford graduate. “We’re enablers more than anything and have built more than 70 enterprise societies around the nation.”

The foundations of NACUE were put in place by Lennox in the summer of 2008. Last December, during a meeting of twelve university enterprise society leaders from across the country, the concept became reality and was launched in May this year. The twelve founding members included the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Nottingham, Essex, Warwick, and Southampton. And, since its launch, NACUE has signed up university enterprise societies across the UK, in Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.

Recognising the importance of promoting student entrepreneurship in fuelling the development of an innovative and entrepreneurial economy, NACUE has developed programmes and organisations to engage university chancellors and enterprise educators to ensure that entrepreneurship is adequately supported within universities.

NACUE’s mission is to empower, connect and represent university enterprise societies and student entrepreneurs to stimulate university enterprise. Since its launch, NACUE already engages over 70 university enterprise societies across the UK, representing more than of 30,000 entrepreneurial students.

“We have four key aims,” says Lennox. “First, we support the sustainable development of university enterprise societies and student ventures. Second, we’re here to inspire, educate and train university enterprise society leaders and student entrepreneurs. Third we connect university enterprise leaders and student entrepreneurs online and in person. And, finally, we advocate for the increased support of student-led enterprise initiatives at individual universities and at a national level.

“By opening communication channels, facilitating the development of new societies, providing cutting-edge national programming and supporting enterprising students and early-stage start-ups engaged with university enterprise societies, NACUE fosters an enabling entrepreneurial ecosystem to stimulate the growth of university entrepreneurship.”

As the University’s President of Oxford Entrepreneurs, Lennox wanted to create something that would last and was even able to put the old college rivalries aside to sign Cambridge University up as a founding member.

“I think maybe it’s because I’m Canadian that the Oxford/Cambridge thing wasn’t a barrier to me,” says Lennox. “All I wanted was for two great universities to work together along with all the other wonderful colleges up and down the UK. Historic rivalry didn’t enter my mind. What we want to do is show the journey through enterprise society and be in a position to back great ideas.”

Sponsorship deals with the likes of global powerhouses Microsoft and Tata, ensure NACUE is doing just that, as Lennox explains:
“We’re working with companies rights now on some very exciting projects. There’s a great new social media site called bravenewtalent.com, for example. It’s a recruitment site connecting the best talent with the best companies directly on a social media platform.

“We’re also working with groups developing clean technologies, including green powered transport.”

NACUE has already established itself among the UK’s entrepreneurial community and Lennox has come a long way in the short time since she launched her own business while an undergraduate in Canada.

“Like many people I became an entrepreneur almost by accident,” she says. “I started the Ottawa Dance Works when I was at college when I taught dance to people to pay my way through college. Then more and more people wanted a teacher so I recruited my own team teaching clients from all kinds of backgrounds. So I took my hobby of dancing and turned it into a business.”

So will she start another business?

“I’m working on making a huge success of NACUE right now, but sure, I’m going to start something else one day. I’m an entrepreneur, it’s what I do.”

As for the UK, Lennox enjoys the entrepreneurial atmosphere of the country so much she’s got no plans to return to her native Canada.

“This is a great place to be an entrepreneur,” she says. “It’s in the culture here and I hope I can play my part in helping as many entrepreneurs toward success as possible.”

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