Nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs

Our entrepreneurs – offering viable solutions to significant problems

From developing sustainable materials to exploring approaches to renewable energy, developing efficient software solutions or converting agricultural waste to fertiliser, the startups founded by our young entrepreneurs are leading the way to a better world. The unique combination of talent and passion for the cause and the gift of support and experience from our alumni community has resulted in some inspirational stories and plenty of optimism for the future. Two startups from the most recent cohort shared experiences of their entrepreneurial journeys to date and the role DVS played in their success. Meet Ground Up and Choppity – two of the startups from the most recent cohort from Durham Venture School (DVS). Over the next few pages, they share their journeys and explain the role DVS has played in their success.

Venture Lab – dedicated to inspiring young minds

Our Hazan Venture Lab was opened in September 2020 and has provided the University’s first purpose-built space for entrepreneurship. The facility was made possible with a generous donation from alumnus Jonathan Hazan (Computing, Hatfield College, 1988-91), who was keen to work with the University to create a dedicated space for student and graduate entrepreneurship. Jonathan’s support has been fundamental to the success of student entrepreneurship at the University, his advice and insights have been invaluable in nurturing student interest in entrepreneurship. The Venture Lab provides a dedicated space for young entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate and form a community. It is open to all our students and graduates working on new ventures or enterprising projects. Durham Venture School (DVS) is a two-year programme run by Venture Lab which is designed to encourage and equip our graduates for a career in entrepreneurship.

A programme like no other

The six-month DVS programme is accesible to all. Over a six-month period, the recruits develop the skills to tackle problems, find solutions and model those solutions into a business concept. There is the opportunity of a £10,000 investment per team and a mentor from our alumni community to help them refine their plans.

Choppity: taming the Dragons

Computer Science graduates Aaron Morris (Stephenson College, 2019-22) and Zara Paul (South College, 2021-24) created Choppity, an innovative web-based AI video editing platform designed to simplify the video-editing process for podcasters and businesses. The platform is already used in production by leading companies such as ITN, Autotrader, Turtle Bay, and Sonatype. Founders Aaron and Zara appeared in the latest BBC2 series of Dragons’ Den in a bid to secure investment. They explain how the DVS experience impacted their vision.

What was the inspiration for your project?

(Zara) We met in my first year at Durham and we started building things together pretty much since we met. At first it was just websites, a game, then a photo book editor, then a graphic design app. The app failed as a business after a year and a half for several reasons. Firstly, we had absolutely no way of making any money from it, but also, we became very aware that social media was favouring video more and more. It was becoming a bigger and bigger medium but didn’t have tools that made it accessible for people who want professional-looking video. So, we decided to do something in the video space. (Aaron) I had learned about the different ways to promote a company, and it struck me that a small business couldn’t possibly spend the time creating all those different types of content and still produce the best product, so my idea was to create a system that could take a single blog post and repurpose that content into several other types of content. This turned into taking long-form video and turning it into short-form content.

How did DVS help you develop your plan?

(Zara) When Aaron joined the DVS cohort in September 2022, we decided to start our project again using proper startup principles. We spent time interviewing potential customers, asking them about their problems and actually just really following the course. It was here that we almost started again using the learnings that we had gained. (Aaron) Because it’s one thing to just have an idea, but ideas are kind of useless. It’s the execution and there’s a lot of best practice on how you actually take an idea or a product into turn it into a company with actual customers.

How useful was the support and advice of your alumni mentor?

(Zara) He was great. He has an impressive track record in B2B software sales, and has experience in scaling several major companies, so he was able to challenge our thinking. There was so much groundwork that we needed to lay with him before we could get to the questions that we wanted to get to, and he really helped us think critically about why we were doing what we were doing, and what we actually wanted to achieve. We met weekly or bi-weekly, and he made a massive difference in the early stages. We even met him with Marek and his colleague, Chris, to help us prepare for Dragons’ Den. We worked through so many practice pitches with them that we were a little disappointed when the Dragons didn’t ask us some of the really difficult questions!

Would you have any advice for students considering applying for a place on the programme?

(Zara) I think that anyone who isn’t someone who enjoys conventionality should do it. It was a great safe space to explore an alternative career path. I recently went to the alumni event where some people were saying that DVS is still at the very top of their CVs when applying for jobs, and it’s still the bit that potential employers find the most interesting because it’s where they learn to become the most resourceful. I think it takes a certain kind of person to start a company, and it takes a certain kind of person to go through the programme.

Where are you now and where do you see Choppity in five years’ time?

(Aaron) We very much measure our business against revenue, but also the retention of our customers, which is what ultimately will give the business longevity. We’ve always viewed each startup as a step to the next. The first one was a flop and a useful lesson. Then came Choppity. We have learned how to handle customer support development operations, and then we think the next one is going to be on a larger scale, using sibling technologies, perhaps a venture capital (VC) funded startup. So, I would like to see Choppity in the hands of someone who can really take care of it. It could be a business tool that’s used more widely and for more applications. We may well still be involved in some way. I’m sure we will create the next startup in the near future – five years is a very long time…

Where did the concept for the project come from?

(Naveen) That’s a very good question! We always knew we wanted something a little bit more out-of-the-box, and in our third year, we became interested in carbon markets* and the concept of what this could achieve. We researched the dynamics of this market and the perceptions of the various stakeholders, but to us it seemed a little messy – a little broken. The ideas just kind of came to us continuously. We just kept refining them and kept changing them – there were a lot of bad ideas along with the good ones, but we knew, and Marek and Chris at DVS reassured us, that we were on the right track. I still don’t even think we found the answer of what our business is yet. It’s constantly evolving and I think that was one of the things that they taught us at DVS. So, long story short, I’ll let you know the answer when we get there!

How did DVS help you develop the plan for Ground Up?

(Naveen) When we took that step into DVS, our thoughts gained more direction. Both our solutions and our energy became far more targeted. Our first meeting with Marek at DVS lasted about two hours! He had endless patience and recognised that we were passionate about the challenge that we had identified, and that DVS could give us the tools to develop a commercially viable solution. Deciding become an entrepreneur can be very lonely in the sense that you don’t have a lot of people that understand that journey. One of the greatest aspects of DVS was to connect with other would-be entrepreneurs. We relied on the network for advice or to understand what that journey would look like, or just to discuss kind of what we were thinking about and what we were doing.

How useful was the support and advice of your alumni mentor?

(Rhea) Incredibly useful. Our mentor was Luke Young who founded Alora. He was knowledgeable, supportive and like-minded, as he also worked in climate action and climate impact. Even more importantly than the practical help and support, he encouraged our mindset. He gave us the confidence that dreaming big is never a bad thing.

Where are you now? And where do you see the company in five years’ time?

(Rhea) We have raised external capital, and we are planning to open the first full-scale industrial plant of its kind in this region by June. We are starting to see traction with collaborative partners and customers – and our team is growing. When we first moved here a year and a half ago, we were based in a garage with three staff. We now employ seven and we are a fully-fledged company with an upcoming industrial facility and an international presence. Our goal is that in five years’ time we will have set up at least 30 industrial facilities – 30 by 2030. That means we will be converting hundreds of thousands of tonnes of residue and diverting it towards producing fertiliser and moving carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. We will be making a real impact both on the climate and on the agricultural sector in India. (Naveen) There are hundreds of districts in India, each with their own cultural and linguistic backgrounds. We plan to be in as many of those districts as possible, creating hubs of employment with sustainable fertiliser and farming practices. Our brand and what we stand for would be ingrained in the Indian agricultural system.

Would you have any advice for students considering applying for a place on the programme?

(Rhea) I think it would be to just do it! It is just the best experience – my favourite memory from my time at Durham is the time that I spent at DVS. It has really shaped me personally and professionally. It is genuinely a wonderful programme that not a lot of other universities offer, we are still blessed to have access to such amazing resources. I would say that if you even have an inkling of an idea or a feeling that you want to do something out there in the world on your own to really make a change, DVS is the best place to start.