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On 8 March, the School will present a day-long festival of entrepreneurship including founders from Scottish sunglasses success story, Tens, tech enterprises Administrate, Neatebox and Freeagent and social enterprises Edinburgh Larder and Freedom Bakery.

Through 14 free events Startup Festival 2017 will offer inspiration, networking opportunities, skills and knowledge to entrepreneurs, students curious about their potential, and anyone with an ambition to help make Edinburgh a great place to live, study and work.

The day will kick off with a cities debate bringing together leaders from Edinburgh and international startup hubs Lisbon (Portugal) and Waterloo (Canada). Chaired by Jonathan Moules of the Financial Times, the panel will discuss what strategies cities put in place to attract talent, investors and a sustainable ecosystem.

Budding student entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch their novel ideas and ventures for a chance to win a share of £5,000 in competitions sponsored by Grant Property and Santander.

Meanwhile successful startups from across Scotland will share their experiences through bite-sized stories, one-to-one sessions and interactive workshops on sales strategies and confidence building.

Through storytelling, workshops, games and debates the festival will also showcase entrepreneurial DNA and know-how across all walks of life and a range of sectors from retail to food & drink, finance, creative industries and energy.

This year’s festival builds on the success of 2016’s inaugural event, which saw more than 1,200 attendances at 11 events over 14 hours. It will also feature the return of the E Club Awards, recognising outstanding achievement in the Edinburgh business community.

Professor Wendy Loretto, Dean of University of Edinburgh Business School, said:

“With this year’s festival, we’re really excited to have the opportunity to bring so many talented people with inspirational stories together, to once again celebrate Edinburgh’s entrepreneurial community.

“With a growing and thriving ecosystem of incubators, startups, support networks and resources, all set against the backdrop of our world-leading university, Edinburgh is a great place to start up.

“We invite everyone to come together to celebrate the city’s entrepreneurial success, but also to look ahead to our collective ambitions for the future.”