Graduate entrepreneurs showcase their start-up success at Westminster
A pair of graduates from the University of Chester were invited to showcase their innovative work at an event at Westminster attended by the Secretary of State for Education.
Lina Tejoprayitno and Daniel Barnes, co-founders of Pop Specs, were among a select group of university start-up founders present at the event.
The event was held to demonstrate the importance of start-up development at universities across the country. New analysis by Universities UK (UUK) suggests that, with the right support, more than 27,000 new start-ups could be established by students and staff at UK universities by 2028.
Lina and Daniel met while studying for their Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) at the University’s Business School and quickly became friends. During the first lockdown of 2020 they set upon the idea to create trendy, affordable and instantly ready specs. Dan's expertise in optics and Lina's ability to get the job done helped them to make Pop Specs a reality.
From launching their first kiosk in Manchester’s Trafford Centre in 2020, the business has gone from strength to strength, opening outlets across the country, including London, Glasgow, Cardiff and York. There is also a Pop Specs store in Chester, inside the New Market.
The Westminster event celebrated the success of these start-ups alongside university chancellors, vice-chancellors and senior politicians, including the Secretary of State for Education the Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, all in attendance.
Lina said: “It was such an honour to be invited to the House of Lords and get a chance to meet with fellow start-ups and University Chancellors.
“I loved my time at Chester and frequently came back as a guest lecturer to share my experience as a start-up entrepreneur. It helped me to meet Daniel through the MBA program and together we started a business that has grown nationally, employing 200+ people which contributes to the economy.
“We currently have 30 locations and we are hoping to close this year with 50 locations and we have plans for expansion to the USA and Europe being one of our main goals in for 2025.”
Lina and Daniel appeared on hit BBC show Dragons’ Den. Describing his pitch to the fearsome Dragons’ panel, Daniel shared the Pop Specs vision of a kiosk within 20 minutes of everyone in the UK, as well as links to major supermarket chains. The pair were well received, with Dragon Peter Jones describing the team as a “breath of fresh air”. Peter and fellow Dragons Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies each agreed to take a 4% stake in the business for a combined £75,000.
Figures from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show there has been an explosion in the last decade of start-ups supported by universities up and down the country, as more institutions have set up business incubators and begun teaching students enterprise skills.
Universities UK (UUK) is showcasing amazing student start-ups and the work universities are doing to support them. The initiative also aims to highlight the vital role these start-ups play in boosting economic growth nationally and locally by creating jobs and attracting investors, as well as how universities are equipping entrepreneurs with the right skills through incubator hubs.
Associate Professor Kirstie Simpson, Dean of Chester Business School, said: “It has been fantastic to see Lina and Daniel’s idea flourish in such a successful way and we hope they will inspire the next generation of student entrepreneurs.”