Adam Smith Business School

Michaela Hruskova, PhD Researcher in Management, was awarded Rookie of the Year at the Startup Grind Global Conference in Silicone Valley for the work she’s done building and growing Startup Grind University of Glasgow chapter.

Michaela teamed up with the Tech Start Programme from the School of Computing Science, Student Enterprise, and the Glasgow University Entrepreneurship Society to set up the Glasgow chapter of the independent startup community which actively develops and inspires entrepreneurs.

One of the key values of Startup Grind is members’ commitment to help each other and make introductions to people in their network. This can lead to members finding mentors, co-founders, funders or employees.

Since its launch in September 2018, Michaela has hosted monthly networking events to inspire, educate and connect the entrepreneurial community at the University and in the broader ecosystem. The events so far have attracted more than 300 attendees from all colleges across the University.

Michaela said: “Winning was a wonderful surprise. It is a recognition of the hard work I have put into launching and growing the chapter during the past ten months. From the beginning I had an ambitious vision for what the community could become and winning is a big step toward fulfilling this. It is also a great testament to the work I have done pioneering the new University format of Startup Grind chapters.

“The award is a big boost for us and our plans. I aspire for the chapter to be the place for entrepreneurially minded students and staff at the University as well as a way of connecting them to the broader ecosystem, and the award shows we are on the right track to achieve something very exciting.”
 
When they join the Glasgow Startup Grind community, members become part of the global community, which consists of 450 chapters across 120 cities, expanding the networking opportunities.

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Enquiries: Clairelouise.smith@glasgow.ac.uk // 0141 330 5463

First published: 1 March 2019