MBA for entrepreneurs

Liverpool University: looking for entrepreneurs

Students with big ideas are being sought for a new MBA in entrepreneurship being launched by Liverpool University.

During the course they will be mentored by business leaders and academics, before pitching their ideas to venture capitalists to try to secure funding.

The students will develop a business plan as a dissertation.

Liverpool University say the course will be the first to recruit students on the strength of their business ideas as well as their academic record.

The student benefits from the chance to work with mentors in market-leading private sector firms as well as strong academic tutoring

Philip Love, vice-chancellor of Liverpool University

The course is one of 10 MBA programmes which will be available at Liverpool University's management school, which will open in September 2002.

University chiefs say the school will draw heavily on information technology.

Liverpool's vice-chancellor Philip Love said: "The school will focus on e-business, e-learning and entrepreneurship.

"The student benefits from the chance to work with mentors in market-leading private sector firms as well as strong academic tutoring.

"There can be no greater incentive than to develop your own business idea, with continual support and input from both university and senior business figures.

"We hope this will be an academy for entrepreneurship," Mr Love said.

Financial backing

The course has received financial backing from investment bankers Merrill Lynch and the micro-processor firm ARM Holdings.

Senior figures in both companies will be among those mentoring students on the entrepreneurship MBA.

Paul Roy, senior vice-president at Merrill Lynch, said: "Funding and core management skills are the key reasons why imaginative ideas cannot be turned into business successes.

To run a business it helps if you have a firm grasp of basics like marketing finance and planning

Robin Saxby
ARM Holdings

"I believe the management school will help tackle this issue head-on and that is why we have contributed to its development costs."

ARM Holdings chief executive Robin Saxby also praised the course: "To run a business it helps if you have a firm grasp of basics like marketing finance and planning.

"But to be really successful, you need to ally this with softer skills such as creativity, vision, commitment and leadership.

"This school places on emphasis an developing the all round entrepreneur."