For Arpan, the trip was the next step in a journey that has already seen him get stuck into entrepreneurship at Manchester. He was a student on MCEL30011 Advanced Technology Enterprise with Dr Robert Phillips, and has taken part in MEC Get Pitching. The Startup School trip itself was made possible with support from the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC).

Why he went

“I’ve always been a very technical and technically curious person,” Arpan explained ahead of the trip. He wanted to understand what happens after the building starts: how early technical ideas actually turn into real companies, and what founders pay attention to in those first, uncertain stages.

“My main goal for the trip is to better understand what founders focus on in the early stages, how they move when there is no clear roadmap yet, and what lessons can be brought back and shared with other students.”

What San Francisco was actually like

Arriving in the city, the scale of it hit almost immediately.

“From AI billboards on every corner to riding driverless taxis, San Francisco is a city that breathes startups. The event itself was great, but meeting founders and students building things I didn’t know were possible yet, that’s what I’m taking back to Manchester.” Arpan Pandey, Computer Science Student

Lessons from the frontier

Startup School brought together some of the biggest names in tech and AI, and Arpan came away with pages of notes. A few of the standout moments:

Jensen Huang (NVIDIA) talked about how cheap and fast it now is to start a company, and argued that everyone should understand how to build with AI, even if they end up using off-the-shelf tools day to day. His advice on ambition was blunt: approach big problems with “how hard can it be?” It will be harder than you think, but that’s tomorrow’s problem.

Boris Cherny (Anthropic, creator of Claude Code) encouraged founders to experiment aggressively and give new tools harder tasks than they think they can handle, reminding the room that there is no single “golden path” and that everyone has to find their own way.

Dmitri Dolgov (Waymo) offered a dose of realism on the gap between demos and production: Waymo had 100,000 miles of autonomous driving logged back in 2010, and it still took over 15 years to reach the road. Scaling anything, he said, is a game of 9s, where each extra decimal point of reliability gets dramatically harder.

Max Hodak (Science Corp) spoke about judgement, urgency and resourcefulness, including his view that you cannot delegate your own judgement, and that when you’re stuck, taking action is itself a way of generating information.

The takeaway

Beyond the talks, Arpan found just as much value in the conversations that happened around them.

“The talks were great, but I learned just as much at the after-events, meeting founders and seeing how far ahead at the frontier some of these startups actually are.” Arpan Pandey

His message to other students

For Arpan, the trip wasn’t just about what he could learn. It was also about encouraging others to put themselves forward for opportunities like this.

“For other students thinking about opportunities like this, my advice is simple: aim high and apply. You do not need to have everything figured out before putting yourself forward.” Arpan Pandey

It’s a message that sits at the heart of what MEC is about: entrepreneurship for all. Whatever course you’re studying, and whatever stage your idea or your curiosity is at, there is a pathway into opportunities like this at Manchester.

Want to get involved?

Arpan’s story is just one example of what’s possible. Whatever you’re studying and whatever stage you’re at, MEC is here to help you explore entrepreneurship, build your skills and take your next step.

Find out more about MEC and the opportunities open to you on the .

Follow and the to see video content from Arpan’s trip, and tag MEC in your own entrepreneurship journey.

The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) at the University of Manchester celebrated the very best of student enterprise at the Venture Further Awards 2026, held on Tuesday 16th June at the iconic Whitworth Hall. Founders, judges, mentors, partners, alumni, colleagues and supporters came together for an evening defined by energy, ambition and the generosity of a community built around student entrepreneurship.

Now in its 23rd year, Venture Further is one of the most important moments in MEC's calendar - a celebration of creativity, courage and practical action. This year was the biggest yet: 29 finalists were selected from around 200 applications, competing for 11 awards across four tracks - Freelancer, Social Impact, Research-Led Disruption and Startup - for a share of a £200,000 prize pot.

The quality of pitches was exceptional. Finalists showed strong ideas, technical capability and the confidence to test, refine and communicate their ventures with conviction. From freelancers building businesses around their skills and reputation, to social impact founders tackling urgent societal and environmental challenges, to research-led innovators translating discovery into application, and high-growth startups with ambitious plans to scale - the breadth and depth of student talent was inspiring.

MEC's work is closely aligned with the University's 2035 strategy and its commitment to Entrepreneurship for All: an ambition that every one of the University's 47,000 students should have the opportunity to benefit from entrepreneurship education and graduate with an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative skillset. The Venture Further Awards demonstrate exactly why that ambition matters.

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Founder Fireside Chat��

The evening began with a Founder Fireside Chat hosted by Dr Rob Martin, Programme Director of Enterprise Education at MEC. Taking to the stage was VFA alumnus Sid Sethi, founder of Specsart - who won £10,000 at the Venture Further Awards in 2018 while studying at the University of Manchester. Specsart set out to disrupt the UK eyewear industry with affordable, premium glasses and has since grown into a global brand: three UK stores, customers across 120 countries, and over 25,000 free eye tests delivered by the end of 2025. Sid has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 and recognised in the FT 1000: Europe's Fastest Growing Companies 2025. His story set the tone for the evening - proof of what Manchester students can achieve when they back themselve.

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Awards Winners

The Freelancing Track

Recognising students who have built self-directed careers offering professional services and creative expertise, this year's Freelancing Track winners demonstrated exceptional craft, business acumen and ambition.

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The Creative Excellence Award�� |�� £3,000
Winner: Sophia Shen, Marketing & Design Services

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The Service Innovator Award ��|�� £3,000
Winner: Jahanvi Tripathi, Stats and Stories

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Freelancer of the Year ��|�� £4,000
Winner: Giuseppe Romano, Make IT STEM

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The Social Impact Track

This track celebrates ventures driven by purpose - tackling real-world challenges in communities, environments and societies. This year's winners showed remarkable breadth, from sustainability to education to community wellbeing.

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The Community Impact Award�� |�� £5,000
Winner: Lisa Udoh, SOLITAIRE

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The Sustainable Development Award�� |�� £15,000
Winner: Gloria Cherono, Envirofly
Co-founder(s): Sharon Chepngetich

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The Social Impact Venture Award�� |�� £20,000
Winner: Elizabeth, Real Life Learning

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The Research-Led Disruption Track

Rooted in the University's tradition of world-leading research, this track celebrates ventures turning laboratory discoveries into real-world commercial opportunities - from deep tech breakthroughs to advanced materials innovation.

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The Deep Tech Excellence Award�� |�� £30,000
Winner: Dr Jacob Samuel Thompson, ADDER-VAX

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The Eli & Britt Harari Graphene Enterprise Award�� |�� £45,000
Winner: Mohamed Elsharkasi, Hollowgraf
Co-founder(s): Premlal Balakrishna Pillai, Rahul Raveendran Nair, Feng Yan

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The Startup Track

The Startup Track celebrates scalable ventures with the potential to attract investment and enter new markets. This year's winners brought innovation across AI-driven tools, consumer health technology and digital platforms.

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The Digital Innovation Award�� |�� £20,000
Winner: Katrina Zalcmane, Vea
Co-founder(s): Zahra Bhatti

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The Consumer & Product Innovation Award�� |�� £20,000
Winner: Donglin Zhao, PawSano

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The High-Growth Venture Award ��|�� £35,000
Winner: Uma Maheswari Mani Shrinivasan, Deft AI
Co-founder(s): Jayanth Reddy

A Word from MEC's Interim Director

“The Venture Further Awards never fail to inspire me. This year's cohort was exceptional - the quality of ideas, the rigour of the pitches, and the sheer determination of our finalists was a testament to what Manchester students can achieve. Now in our 23rd year, Venture Further has become one of the most exciting evenings in the entrepreneurship calendar, and this year was no exception. None of this would be possible without the incredible generosity of our judges and partners, who give their time, expertise and resources so that our students get the very best opportunities. I want to congratulate every finalist, and especially our 11 winners - but I also want to say to every student who applied: you took a step that matters. That courage is exactly what Entrepreneurship for All is about.” Lee Pugalis, Interim Director, Masood Entrepreneurship Centre

A Night to Remember

The awards ceremony at Whitworth Hall was made possible by the generous support of more than 100 partners, organisations and individuals who have supported MEC this year, including Unit M, the Innovation Factory, GM Business Growth Hub and NatWest. Their support ensures that events like Venture Further continue to connect student entrepreneurs with the networks, challenge and encouragement they need to go further.

Congratulations go to all 29 finalists. Only some names were called at Whitworth Hall on the night, but every finalist achieved something significant: taking an idea seriously, standing behind it, and inviting others to believe in it too. That is the mindset MEC wants every Manchester student to develop, whatever path they choose after graduation.

For more information about the Venture Further Awards and MEC's programmes, or to find out how to get involved as a partner, mentor or collaborator, visit www.entrepreneurship.manchester.ac.uk.

Interested in Entering Next Year?

Venture Further is open to all University of Manchester students and recent graduates. Whether you have a fully-formed business or just an idea you want to explore, now is the time to start thinking about your application. Join a community of ambitious student entrepreneurs and get access to mentorship, funding, and the support to take your venture further.

Register your interest for Venture Further Awards 2027: