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Guidance supporting Europe’s aspiring entrepreneurs
Policy and practice to harness future potential

Example 24. Networking opportunities offered by the Student Club at the
University of Navarra, Spain

The Entrepreneurs’ Club (Club de Emprendedores), introduced in Example 17, offers a combination
of various networking activities for would-be and novice student entrepreneurs. Twice weekly
thematic seminars are organised for students, and the members of the club can attend business
breakfasts with invited entrepreneurs, allowing them the opportunity to discuss their issues and
obtain information and advice directly from them. Conferences are also organised by the club,
though students can offer proposals to invite specific entrepreneurs. At the international networking
evenings, students organise working groups to discuss their views and opinions on different topics
from different cultural perspectives.
Ideas originating from the student members of the club include company visits, conferences
and thematic seminars.
In 2006, when the club launched, there were 30 registered members. Four years later, the
Entrepreneurs’ club had approximately 750 members and some 2 100 students per annum
participating in the club’s activities. The average age of club members is 20. There are slightly more
women than men enrolled as members of the club, though this reflects the composition of the total
student population at the university. Many of the club members are from the engineering and
economy faculties.
The growth in membership and participation in activities suggests that students value the
experience they can gain from participating in club activities. Students appear to be attracted by the
club’s activities as an adjunct to their studies as they help give students grounding in the reality of
business.

Few students set up a company straight after their studies; graduates often
prefer to gain practical work experience before pursuing entrepreneurial

aspirations. Therefore, alumni networks and clubs are particular useful way of
supporting recent graduates. One such example can be found from Latvia where
the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga runs an alumni entrepreneur club.
The club regularly brings together current and future young businessmen to help
them build networks, learn from one another and encourage new ventures.
In Slovenia, the Faculty of Management at the Slovenian Rectors'
Conference (Univerza na Primorskem) has designed an intranet service for HE
students. Through this platform HE students can network or learn from
experiences of other students who have gone to set up a business.

4.4. Providing enterprise start-up support for students

Higher education institutions, technical HEIs in particular, are potential breeding
grounds for high technology and high-growth companies (Volkmann et al., 2009).
For this reason there is a clear rationale for supporting students in practical,
technical and financial ways in their efforts to start and grow enterprises that
benefit society. Traditionally, however, European universities and polytechnics
have placed a greater focus on developing entrepreneurial capacities and
mindsets. This has been demonstrated by key literature in this field (e.g.

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