My reflection on the Newcastle Innovation Lab

Raising Dough CIC - The Mission 

The Newcastle University Innovation lab (i-lab) internship gave me this opportunity to develop myself in ways I didn’t even know before doing the project. To set the scene, for this internship I was put into a team of 5 members where we got assigned a partnering business who has a problem that they need solving. For us, it was Jo Gordon, the inspiring CEO of Raising Dough, which is a social enterprise that looks to break down barriers using pizza as a method of doing this. More specifically, delivering training programs and building people up that may have been unemployed or have a neurodivergence which may make it harder for them to find work. Being able to do a project with a social enterprise that is providing such incredible value to the world made the internship so meaningful for me. 

Changing mindset 

The i-Lab launched with a series of immersive workshops on entrepreneurship and market research, which empowered me to develop a different mindset and gave me the tools for a different way of thinking. As a cohort, we mastered frameworks like the Business Model Canvas and explored the nuances of achieving product-market fit. I believe this section of the project gave us the tools to make a lasting impact for Raising Dough CIC. Crucially, the early stages of the i-Lab cultivated a resilience that I hadn't fully developed before. I adopted a 'growth mindset,' where mistakes are seen as stepping stones to improve and not stumbling blocks that hold us back. The programme also drove home a hard truth: in innovation, the ability to pivot when a plan faces friction isn't just an option, it’s a necessity. 

Another key mindset shift I took from this beginning stage was what I thought business and entrepreneurship was. My original ideas was that we had to think of this massive idea and go from there, however in reality I learnt that it is more about identifying your stake holders and really understanding their problem inside and out, it is only then where you can truly fix their problem. I think making this change was critical for me to keep on going with my entrepreneurship journey! 

Designing for Impact 

The i-Lab challenged me to step up in ways I hadn't expected, particularly when I was selected to coordinate the team. At first, the idea of managing the project timeline and deliverables for a real business was daunting. I had to learn quickly how to facilitate discussions effectively, especially during our online meetings, and how to turn our brainstorming sessions into actionable goals for Raising Dough. This experience taught me that effective leadership is actually about listening and adaptability. It gave me a newfound respect for project managers and a confidence in my own ability to guide a project from start to finish. 

Jo gave us the task to develop new branding designs for her chilled pizza packaging and to source some sustainable suppliers of this packaging. Initially, the team thought it might be quite straight forward but we soon found out that this wasn’t the case. 

We hit several obstacles, from struggling to reach the right suppliers to realizing our initial assumptions were wrong. 

We had to pivot our approach. To ensure our solution was viable, we developed research questionnaires to understand what Jo’s ideal customers actually wanted, and we even interviewed leading academics in marketing to see how we could adapt the designs for our target market. We learned that to get stakeholders interested, we had to refine our design and make it compelling, a skill I will carry with me forever. 

Learning Through Collaboration 

Another standout aspect of the i-Lab was the diversity of the team. I was working alongside students from completely different degree backgrounds. 

This allowed me to see problems through multiple lenses, where I naturally focused on operational feasibility, a teammate from a creative background prioritized customer desirability. Learning to synthesize these different ways of thinking is crucial for anyone planning to work in a modern company or build their own business team. It taught me the value of being open-minded and trusting the expertise of others. 

I also learnt about the 9 different team roles by the psychologist Belbin, as a team we identified everyone’s strengths which allowed us to work as effectively as possible. 

Networking is Key 

Throughout the internship, we had talks from several guest speakers, from venture capitalists to academic experts who explained business concepts that were incredibly useful for the project but also allowed us to understand the world of entrepreneurship more. 

More importantly, the programme taught us that the most effective way to network is simply to do it. We had to contact various stakeholders and suppliers, often "cold calling" or emailing people we didn't know. Many entrepreneurs fall at this first hurdle, but because we practiced it repeatedly, it got easier every time. I now understand that networking isn't just about collecting contacts; it's about seeing opportunities to collaborate and helping others solve their problems. 

The Outcome 

By the end of the project, we didn't just hand Jo a report; we handed her a solution. We successfully developed a market research strategy, developed a packaging design, analysed our customer questionnaire data which validated the design choices, and provided a recommendation for a sustainable packaging supplier that aligned with Raising Dough’s values. We also provided a roadmap for how specific market research could be conducted in the future to iterate on the design. 

Key Takeaways 

Looking back, the i-Lab was the bridge I needed between my degree and my career. 

• Resilience: I learned that pivoting is part of the process, not a sign of failure. 

• Leadership: Coordinating a team gave me confidence in my management abilities. 

• Impact: Knowing our work helped a social enterprise move forward was the most rewarding part of the experience. 

Why You Should Apply 

The Innovation Lab offers you a rare chance to use your degree in a real-world setting to help local businesses and social enterprises thrive. If you want to make a real difference during your studies and gain the kind of practical experience that employers love, I would highly recommend applying for the next Innovation Lab cohort.