When Kofi Oppong founded Hackney-based non-profit Urban MBA in 2016, he knew that countless Londoners not in employment, education or training could benefit—personally as much as professionally—from entrepreneurship principles.
A lifeline for many young Londoners during pandemic, Oppong’s trainings have launched careers and created a community of ambitious alumni. His work is built on a simple principle: everyone should be able to access social enterprise skills and training.
Entrepreneurship is for everyone.
At least, it is in theory — but as Oppong argues, the knowledge of how to excel in business creation is elusive. Locked behind ever-growing tuition fees and inaccessible academic language, traditional business programmes can often be exclusionary and elitist.
Urban MBA works to democratise access to enterprise skillsets and in so doing “equip marginalised and disengaged young adults to be resilient in times of personal turmoil” and in business development. After seven years, the non-profit’s model is making a big impact.
Bringing business development to the streets
Urban MBA organises a variety of courses, both short and long, to develop knowledge among cohorts of 18–25-year-olds. Short courses, such as “Introduction to the Metaverse” demonstrate the charity’s commitment to keeping their material timely and relevant to a younger audience. Longer offerings, like the 1-year “Levelling Up” course, support individuals to grow and develop their own business models. Moving from goal setting and idea development to more technical aspects of company incorporation, investment, and marketing, students on this course see that they have the skills to carve out a niche for themselves. Graduation ends in style—with a pitch night a la “Dragons Den”.
Countless young people have been supported into their own successful businesses by Urban MBA. Many continue their connection to the community through the alumni network, which has secured over £200k in funding for those who have completed an Urban MBA programme.
One needn’t look far to see how impactful this education is; alumni include fashion stylist and creative director Ashleigh Stunna, Sunmo Snacks Founder - Victoria Omobuwajo, and disability aid designer Jessica Ryan-Ndegwa.
Creating an ecosystem of support
A large part of each cohort’s success stems from the wrap-around support provided by staff. In particular, the team focus on pitching courses at the right level to engage young adults, platforming the talents within each cohort, and providing a sense of place (in addition to access to physical space).
Blended learning techniques mean that students spend just as much time applying entrepreneurship skills as learning about them. To keep cohorts engaged, Urban MBA updates its information regularly. In December, an Urban MBA class was hosted inside New Meta Esports Arena and discussed pathways into the gaming industry.
Urban MBA is proud of the work their alumni are doing—and rightfully so! This means that platforming comes naturally to them. During London Fashion Week, for example, the charity facilitate the Emerging Futures Fashion Show. They’ve also run a summer pop-up store in addition to featuring businesses on their social media channels.
Recognising the importance of creating physical places for collaboration, Urban MBA has made working space more accessible. A partnership with Flow offers £500 in co-working space credits to those affiliated with Urban MBA. In 2021, participants took advantage of over 100 hours of time in these spaces.
In democratising access to business education, Urban MBA have already transformed the lives of many young people. To follow their coming programmes, visit them online.
