Oli Monks, BA Management and Entrepreneurship student and co-founder of Stride Innovations Ltd, was the only UK student participant in the recent ASEM (Asia- Europe Meeting) Conference on fostering entrepreneurship in higher education.

Workshops looked at what institutions can do to support entrepreneurship study, and to transform themselves into environments in which future entrepreneurs can flourish.

Oli, who was one of 50 student participants from 28 countries at event at the University Brunei Darussalam, gave a presentation on entrepreneurship education in the UK.  The presentation focussed on the current support available to student and graduate entrepreneurs that is available at UK institutions and shared best practice.

The entrepreneurship student says the experience was “beyond anything I expected to get from the ten days. I loved it.

“Everyone was really proactive in wanting to learn and network with each other, which took the event to another level.”

Oli, together with three friends, has set up Stride Innovations Ltd. Their idea is to launch a mobile app that helps users capture their ideas and share them quickly.

The young entrepreneur believes the conference has proved helpful with his business.

“I managed to learn quite a few things to help with Stride,” he says.

“We have got a good business contact in 28 countries around the world, which is amazing.”

The 23 year old was asked to moderate one of the sessions and, having suitably impressed organisers, was asked to host the closing ceremony too.

“They seemed to like how I hosted the event,” he says.

Oli is currently looking at forming collaboration with a contact he met in Brunei, on a project which would aim to help people with autism in the UK and Brunei.

Although Oli was the only participant from the UK, there was one other British person giving a presentation; Paul Booth - also a LUMS graduate and, like Oli, a member of Fylde College.

“It’s a very small world,” laughs Oli.