YOUNG entrepreneurs looking to change the world were urged to “think big” as Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) kicked off this week.

Talented students and graduates heard how to turn their dreams into a reality from two leading city entrepreneurs at a StartUp Sussex workshop.

Howard Sandford, chief technology officer at software developer Singing Horse Studio, and Arjo Ghosh, an investor and non-executive adviser at Brilliant Noise, spoke at the Sussex Innovation Centre session.

Participants in this year’s StartUp Sussex scheme are working in app and software development, retail, importing and exporting and products design – and taking degrees in business and management school, as well as geog- raphy, neuroscience, English and psychology.

They were shown how to develop their ideas using customer research and business modelling and are building towards the chance of winning funding in the spring.

Mr Sandford said: “It’s evident that we’ve been experiencing a real boom in entrepreneurial activity in Brighton over the past few years and I think that has a lot to do with the number of talented young people coming out of the city’s two universities.

“It’s important that the next gener- ation of entrepreneurs get to learn from the success – and mistakes – of those who’ve been there and done it, which is why I’ve been delighted to help out with the StartUp Sussex pro- gramme over the past few years.

“Coming from a technical back- ground, it’s great to see their ideas taking shape at an early stage and be able to give them a steer towards what might be possible.

“Our role as facilitators is to help these students to take that initial kernel of a business idea and think bigger, about how they could build it into something really valuable for the local community and beyond.”

Mr Ghosh said: “It’s great to be able to pass on some of my experience of launching a business to aspiring entrepreneurs who are just starting out on their journey – from working on programmes like this one at Sussex, as well as at the Fusebox and Brighton College in previous years, I’ve seen first-hand that Brighton is full of highly motivated young people who are setting out to change the world.

“If there’s one thing that I’d like to impress on young people interested in entrepreneurship, it’s to think big, keep looking for opportunities, and don’t be afraid to change your ideas.”

Paul Jordan, who oversees StartUp Sussex, said: “We hope to encourage a community of Sussex students that are enthused by entrepreneurship.

“Centre stage for these workshops has been a focus on creative thinking and practical discovery skills, to deter- mine whether what you have is just an idea, or a real opportunity to build a scalable venture – be that social enter- prise or enterprise.”