St Andrews Women in Business: An Inspiring panel of Student Speakers

Many of us might find ourselves secretly revealing to our friends an invention idea, and we joke about materialising that aspiration. While some students have a hard time juggling academics, extracurriculars, and simply turning in an essay on time, others find the time to establish a business and remain a full-time student. On March 23, Women in Business collaborated with St Andrews Innovation to provide a panel of student speakers sharing their experience as entrepreneurs. The event was not exclusive to females; as I looked around, I saw nearly an equal number of girls and boys gathered together to learn from their peers.

The first speaker, Ideja Bajra, is a fourth year student who founded Edvance AI, a Gen-Z consultancy firm. She started the business in November 2023 and has been simultaneously running a non-profit for five years. Bajra was even invited to speak about AI innovation at Stanford, and found herself comparing the jarring Silicon Valley work life culture to the UK. While she struggles balancing her company, dissertation, and degree, she finds solace in her mentors and team. 

The next speaker, however, had a different perspective on their work-life balance. Sebastian Chessé imagined Los Tacos by listening to what students complain about the most: food. His peers in Sallies did not enjoy the hall food, others found Shawarma repetitive, and the lack of diversity  — especially that of Mexican options — stood out to him. The business has grown from their first flat tasting event to catering Fight Night last year for around 1,200 people.  He does not know where the business will go after university, but he claims to have learned “one hundred times more in this than any management class.” As many of the business owners reiterated, experience is a skill you are not able to gain in the classroom. 

Another name many people have heard before —Beeskia Vintage— spoke next. Abigail Elkan and Isabel Meadows Gibb began the business in their second year. Not only are they business partners, but they are best friends with a passion for vintage clothes and a vision for a more sustainable world. Beeskia began with pop-ups of DJ’s, tarot card readings, and tooth gems, and where shoppers do not feel pressured to do anything but look around. The business has grown to be featured in FS as a fashion brand and have since partnered with Pluto’s where — by April — they will be providing around 50 pieces to the store. 

Up next, Aditya Mahapatra’s marketing agency Augmentum Medium was the oldest business at three and a half years old. His talk aimed to explain how the audience can succeed as entrepreneurs. He talked of his struggle with imposter syndrome, especially since he began the business at just Seventeen years old. His mentor taught him three things that he relayed to  the crowd: don’t wait to feel ready to get started, embrace the fear of failure, and build a close community of support even if it is hard to find. His agency has worked with big names such as Lululemon and aims to be the number one influencer agency in the UK by the end of 2026.

The event did not close with a student run business, rather with the input of the St Andrews Innovation startup. The event concluded not with a student-run business, but with the contribution of the St Andrews Innovation startup. It works to provide assistance to students interested in intellectual property, copywriting, and beginning a business. I left the event feeling inspired by the student speakers and their ability to balance university work and a business.

Photo provided by St Andrews Women in Business