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Greg Preece - MSc Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

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After graduating with a Multimedia Computing BSc degree, Greg Preece worked in Australia, Canada and London in a string of demanding jobs for Metro, Monitise and Microsoft.  Greg then combined his impressive IT skills with his passion to start his own software business and documented his progress on his YouTube channel, ‘Start Starting Up’.

“I’d become frustrated and disillusioned with the standard 9 to 5, career ladder focused approach to living in the UK. I went away to learn some new skills, to create my own income on my own terms and to live more freely and independently,” Greg explains.

The appeal of developing his confidence and the networks required to successfully build his business, brought Greg back to the UK and back to higher education to study an MSc in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship with the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies (CEES) at the University of Leeds.

I saw this postgraduate degree with CEES as an opportunity to develop my entrepreneurial mind-set and build my career.

During his studies, Greg successfully applied for an Enterprise Scholarship from Spark, the University’s dedicated business start-up service, to help develop his new business. The Scholarships provide students with £3,000 and afford intensive training and support to help progress their ventures.  Spark’s support has made it possible for Greg to blend his studies with his business aspirations, moving him ever closer to turning his digital projects into a successful business model.

The prestigious Enterprise Scholarships are funded through the generosity of Leeds alumni, who often dedicate time with students for individual mentorship on top of the finance to support their entrepreneurial ambitions.  Greg had the opportunity to meet and chat with his Scholarship donor, who graduated from Leeds in 1968.

“To be awarded an Enterprise Scholarship and then to meet the donor who made all this possible was incredible,” he says.  “My donor was very welcoming and excited to meet me, and, as he had a tech background himself, I came away with some solid business advice too. I’m very thankful to him for his generosity.”

Benefiting from access to Spark’s advisors, mentors and business experts, as well as the opportunity to use top-class incubator space from which to develop his business, Greg has taken full advantage of the entrepreneurial environment in Leeds and secured additional office space in the city centre, at the heart of Leeds’ burgeoning digital sector.

Leeds has a thriving digital community that makes studying here and working here all the more interesting. Enterprise at Leeds has given me access to an influential network of events and meet-ups making it so much easier to make friends, share ideas and collaborate. And of course complete my Masters degree whilst doing so.