They were in dire need of funding for costumes, crash mats and equipment. However - as is the case for many university students - they were strapped for cash. Their traditional part-time jobs of bar, restaurant or shop work were falling short and they were struggling to raise the additional funds.
What if there was a website where students could use the skills that complement their courses and learning in a commercial environment and earn more in doing so? He soon realised that this would also be hugely valuable to small and medium-sized businesses, with high potential.
Unisource is a digital service that aims to give businesses the opportunity to seek cost-effective advice to a problem or test an idea on a small scale before investing heavily and gives students the opportunity to gain work experience.
Before developing our website, we spoke to 250 businesses with five employees or less in the manufacturing, retail and leisure sectors to test the idea. A staggering 97% said they believed Unisource was a positive initiative.
Co-founder, Andy has 32 years’ global business experience in sales and marketing, including working across multiple countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. His last role with the company was Strategy Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. Andy is now back in the UK and partnering on several new ventures.
Niall has a degree in general psychology, a master’s degree in occupational organisational psychology, and is writing his PhD about developing human-level AI systems. In 2015, he completed a placement as a psychology researcher at Stanford University. Having been part of the academic world for some time, Niall brings his insights into student life and requirements.
