Business School alumnus secures significant investment for innovative online business

12 November 2013

Nottingham University Business School alumnus Ben Grech is an avowed entrepreneur. Whilst studying for a BA (Hons) Finance Accounting and Management he set up the entrepreneurship society Nottingham Entrepreneurs and later co-founded the National Association of College & University Entrepreneurs (NACUE). After graduating with a 1st Class degree in 2010, Ben spent a year at the Private Equity Fund; HIG Capital before joining together with fellow Nottingham Entrepreneurs member Miguel Amaro, to create Uniplaces, an innovative online booking platform for student and mid-term accommodation.

Uniplaces first launched in Lisbon in 2012 and expanded its website to include London – now its headquarters – in June 2013. The company has recently secured £700,000 in seed funding led by UK investment management firm Octopus, alongside leading angel investors Alex Chesterman (Founder and CEO of Zoopla Property Group) and William Reeve (Chairman of Graze.com).

“We are very happy to be working with such high quality investors who recognise the scale of the opportunity for Uniplaces. We know that Uniplaces is desperately needed in cities around the world, and this financial backing will help us to get there faster”, effused a delighted Ben.

Rebecca Marshall, a member of the Ventures team at Octopus, said: “Uniplaces is an innovative business model that has found a niche in a large and attractive market. We have been impressed by the management team and their strong international experience, and we are excited about partnering with them in the next stage of the company’s development.”

Entrepreneurship is an integral element of all study programmes provided by Nottingham University Business School. Several academics specialise in the fields of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Creativity and the School offers dedicated MSc and MBA programmes in Entrepreneurship in addition to joint MSc Entrepreneurship programmes with other Schools. It is also home to the Haydn Green Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, one of Europe’s leading centres of excellence in enterprise education. The Institute includes the EnterpriseLab, an environment in which students and graduates can learn about the practical aspects of business development and build their entrepreneurial skills. “During my time at Nottingham I worked closely with the EnterpriseLab and they provided excellent support”, acknowledged Ben.

Uniplaces are currently recruiting people with business knowledge, enthusiasm and skills to help with their expansion and would welcome approaches from Nottingham University Business School graduates or current students who may be seeking internship opportunities. For more information visit http://www.uniplaces.com/content/hiring