Maria Artin Wirstedt, Marketing Lead within the bank’s innovation studio SEBx is happy.
“It feels great. We have targeted people who have a business idea that has remained unrealised, for various reasons. Now is the time to make it happen!”
The camp began on the 18th of April and consists of six physical meetings. Participation is free of charge and the recruitment process has exceeded all Maria’s expectations.
“We made use of various social media to market the event. Since we got a host of interesting applicants, we chose to increase the number of participants from ten to 22. A large share of these are women, several with an immigrant background.”
What is your take on that – that many were women with an immigrant background?
“Part of the explanation, I believe, has to do with channels we have used and our way of communicating. In addition, these groups are traditionally underrepresented in entrepreneurship, which means there are many ideas waiting to be realised there. Perhaps they have previously not found the right forums or networks to help them feel ready to take that step.”
The business ideas among the participants show great variety, including everything from helping companies with their AI strategies to starting a café.
A camp named after an app for solopreneurs
UNQUO Camp is named after the app UNQUO, which has been developed by SEBx, in order to make life a little easier for solopreneurs.
“The whole idea behind the UNQUO app is to facilitate starting and running your own business. It helps you manage your company's as well as your personal finances. In addition, you get plenty of practical tips for running your business. Several new, exciting features are also in the pipeline”, says Belgin Alalinli, Community Manager for UNQUO.
The participants in the camp will use the UNQUO app as extra support during the course, while being guided through the entire start-up process. Various themes will also be explored in the group sessions, such as: financing, target group analysis and leadership.
“When the camp ends we will hopefully have 22 new companies up and running. That's our goal. Furthermore, the solopreneurs will have received all the guidance and knowledge they need to succeed with their businesses”, Belgin Alalinli explains.
Another important purpose of the UNQUO Camp is to provide role models and inspiration for the participants. The list of speakers includes names such as the advertising agency CEO Sara Strand, the lecturer and coach Amo Cartwright, the entrepreneur and founder of Wellibites Sara Serray, as well as the entrepreneur and CEO Daniel Sonesson.