START UP drives entrepreneurial success as 45 new businesses take off
This year, the Start Up team, part of Student Success, has reached a significant achievement, supporting over 45 students and recent graduates to successfully launch their own businesses this academic year.
17 August 2026
This year, the Start Up team, part of Student Success, has reached a significant achievement, supporting over 45 students and recent graduates to successfully launch their own businesses this academic year.
The achievement highlights the growing entrepreneurial culture across the University, with students and graduates turning their ideas into thriving ventures across a wide range of sectors. The diverse mix of businesses launched this year include three social enterprises, 11 sole trader businesses and 31 limited companies.
Alongside practical business support, START UP has distributed £30,000 of equity-free grant funding this year to help students and graduates develop and launch their ventures, whilst also supporting advanced START UP businesses to attend Climb26, the UK’s largest festival of business growth.
Turning Ideas into Impact
Innovation remains at the heart of many of these new ventures. Among this year’s standout founders is Mechanical Engineering student Henrietta Newble, who developed AnFiTest while in her first year of study. AnFiTest is an equine and livestock rapid diagnostic venture focused on preventing major nutrition-based animal diseases.
Since developing the concept in 2024, Henrietta has rapidly advanced the venture, filing a patent application, and securing pre-seed investment worth £120,000. Through START UP, she was introduced to experts within the University, including colleagues in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, who helped refine and test early prototypes using University laboratory facilities. Henrietta also recruited six student interns through the University’s NCL Internship programme, providing students with hands-on industry experience and a deeper understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship in a start-up environment.
Another recent success story is MSc Data Science and AI graduate Kartik Goswami, founder of CosmicAegis. The business is among the first AI-powered platforms designed to translate solar storm activity into satellite-specific operational and financial intelligence.
After receiving £3,000 in START UP grant funding, Kartik has expanded the business, recruiting a Newcastle University engineering student as an intern and securing a place on the prestigious UK Space Agency LEO Accelerator programme, selected from more than 15,000 applicants.
START UP also supports students and graduates who are bringing their personal experiences, skills and passion around a desire to create social impact.
Among them is Daniel Delsol-Lowry, a professional basketball player from Queens, USA, who studied MSc Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability in 2024. After a career-threatening knee injury during college, Daniel worked with START UP to transform a challenging setback into a new venture. Through Dlowcamp, he has created a basketball development platform that combines elite training with a strong focus on discipline, personal growth and community engagement.
The Start Up team has also helped graduates turn creative talent into thriving enterprises. Rebecca Appleton (BA Hons Linguistics, 2024), founder of Lemon Rose Studios, has grown her freelance illustration business with support from START UP following the birth of her son.
Specialising in live illustration for weddings, events and markets, alongside bespoke pet portraits, Rebecca has expanded her customer base through campus pop-ups, live drawing at Congregations, regional markets and online commissions. Her success has enabled her to create opportunities for others too, employing five local freelance creatives to support the growing business.
Supporting Entrepreneurship Across Newcastle University
The achievements of this year’s founders contribute to Newcastle University’s wider reputation as one of the UK’s leading universities for student and graduate entrepreneurship.
According to the latest Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey (HEBCIS 2024/25), Newcastle University is ranked third in the UK for student and graduate start-up turnover, with student and graduate businesses generating more than £220 million, and tenth nationally for employment, supporting more than 1,350 jobs.
Through confidential one-to-one coaching, specialist advice, grant funding, skills development opportunities and co-working space in King’s Gate, the Start Up team continues to help students and recent graduates transform ideas into sustainable businesses.
Claire Adamson, Senior Manager of Entrepreneurship and Start-up, said:
Reaching 45 new student and graduate businesses this academic year is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the creativity, ambition and determination of our founders.
As we celebrate World Entrepreneurs' Day, it is inspiring to see so many students and graduates choosing to create their own purpose-driven graduate career opportunities through entrepreneurship, turning ideas into ventures that are creating economic, social, cultural and technological impact. Many are building these businesses alongside the demands of full-time study, demonstrating exceptional resilience and commitment.
This success reflects Newcastle University's ambition as a fourth-generation university, driving innovation and accelerating ideas into impact, while contributing to the Next Generation Newcastle vision by nurturing talent and creating the businesses of the future.
We are grateful to the colleagues, mentors, donors, partners and alumni whose support helps our students and graduates transform bold ideas into successful ventures.
To learn more about START UP and how to signpost students, visit: Start-up support | Newcastle University.
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