The company was created by 19-year-old Bejay Mulenga and 28-year-old Liam Toothill in partnership with Barclays LifeSkills. The goal of Supa Academy is to help the development of business skills in teenagers and young adults by building confidence and curiosity along the way.
A live event will take place in the form of the Supa Academy Hack 2015 at London’s Old Truman Brewery from 24-26 July, which will see Bowman on board as the host during the search for 500 budding retail tycoons.
Bowman recently launched a book called Great British Music Festivals and hopes to bring some flavour to the youth-centric programme.
“What Liam and Bejay have created with Supa Academy is really special. It’s pretty incredible to see them working so hard to inspire the UK’s next generation of entrepreneurs, and I’m very excited to be an ambassador for Supa Academy,” she said.
“Interestingly, I think it’s going to have a real festival vibe, with live music, stalls, and a variety of engaging activities, so I’ll most definitely be in my comfort zone.”
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Running over three days, the event for 18-24 year olds has partners including the likes of River Island, Facebook and Pepsi Max signed up. Those taking part in the scheme will secure the chance to be mentored by experts from the companies, who will offer advice on earning revenue and launching a supermarket or eCommerce channel.
Mulenga added: “The Supa Academy Hack 2015 is designed to encourage a sense of entrepreneurial spirit in teenagers and young adults taking their first steps in business and enterprise.
“We’ve already had a huge amount of interest in the event, as it will be the first of it’s kind, so we’re looking forward to ambitious young people coming forward to take part.
“It’s going to be pretty mind-blowing to see the outcome of 500 young people, working together under one roof with the right support, guidance and business tools. I’m confident they’re going to create something great.”
