Written by Jin Cheng

As a History of Art student, I spent a long time in the ‘bubble’ of arts and humanities, consciously or unconsciously distancing myself from terms like ‘business,’ ‘finance,’ and ‘entrepreneurship,’ without fully understanding what they stood for. These fields felt foreign, even incompatible with my own pursuits, and I hesitated to take the first step – perhaps out of intimidation, or simply not knowing where to begin.

Things started to change in the second year, when I was elected President of the Fitzwilliam Museum Society, the largest student-led art society in Cambridge. In this role, I collaborated closely with the museums in Cambridge and organised community-engaging events of various scales. These experiences enabled me to see a bigger picture: the arts, particularly the cultural and heritage sectors, despite their immense potential to educate and to inspire, often struggle with funding and mobility.

At the same time, conversations with guest speakers working at the intersection between arts and business illuminated a whole new perspective: entrepreneurship is not just about profit margins, it can serve as a bridge, connecting industries and amplifying the social impacts of the arts, whilst the gains from businesses could fuel the development of the arts.

This sparked something in me. By the end of my second year, I realised that to achieve my goal of bridging cultures and communities through the arts, I needed practical tools and approaches. My academic training offered deep historical and theoretical insights but left me questioning how to translate these into actionable change. How could I transform my learning into something impactful? How could I make my dreams tangible?

The Residential Programme at the King’s E-Lab appeared on my radar at just the right moment. Without hesitation, I applied and was fortunate to be selected as one of 60 students for the programme’s fourth year. This diverse cohort brought together students from various disciplines and stages of their entrepreneurial journeys.

The residential week, held just before Michaelmas term, was a truly stimulating and transformative experience. Under the thoughtful guidance of the E-Lab’s co-founders, Kamiar Mohaddes and Thomas Roulet, the week offered foundational insights into entrepreneurship. Guest speakers such as Sheelpa Patel, Elena Punskaya, Christian Bunke, Richard Bickford-Smith, and Andriy Byelka delivered lectures on competition analysis, intellectual property, marketing, branding, legal frameworks, and financial projections. But what struck me most was how entrepreneurship was framed not just as a set of tools or strategies but as a mindset - one that values creativity, resilience, and the ability to connect with others.

The week also introduced us to the wider entrepreneurial community in Cambridge. A panel discussion with Nadia Radzman, Amu Chandra, and Ismail Sami provided a glimpse into the unique opportunities and challenges of being both entrepreneurs and academics. Hearing their stories of perseverance and innovation left me feeling deeply inspired.

The E-Lab annual dinner was another highlight. After the Entrepreneurship Prize awards, I had the privilege of sitting next to Malcolm McKenzie and Sheelpa Patel, whose rich career trajectories and life experiences offered profound insights. Our conversations wove several topics together with ease, from entrepreneurship to early Renaissance art and language learning. Malcolm and Sheelpa showed me that entrepreneurship is not just about strategies and business models - it is deeply rooted in character, vision, and a willingness to engage with diverse perspectives.

The student cohort at the E-Lab was another source of inspiration. Whether over coffee in the Chetwynd Room, meals in the King’s Hall, or collaborative sessions in the Turing Room, I found myself immersed in fascinating discussions across disciplines. Many of my peers are tackling pressing global challenges through tech, medicine, and social innovation, their work expanded my horizons and sparked new ideas. Their commitment to making a difference reminded me of the importance of solution-oriented thinking and social responsibility.

I also met like-minded individuals who shared my passion for the arts and cross-cultural connections. Collaborating with Marie Christelle Barrere-Collet, Isuri Ratnayake, Jessica Hammond, and Ubayd Ajanaku, we brainstormed and pitched our initiative, Foresees.

Foresees is a homonym of 4Cs – Connecting Cultures through Crafts in Cambridge. This digital gallery concept, nurtured by the academic community at Cambridge, aims to connect local creators with a global market, sharing wearable arts and the stories behind them. The project gave me the opportunity to translate long-held observations about access issues in the arts into tangible ideas, driving me to pursue these aspirations further.

Though brief, the residential week has had a profound impact on my mindset, marking the start of an exciting new chapter where I aim to weave together my creative, academic, and entrepreneurial endeavours. For someone like myself, with no prior entrepreneurial experience but a determination to turn ideas into reality, E-Lab offers invaluable tools, guidance, and encouragement.

Taking the end as a beginning, I am eager to engage with more events and workshops over the coming year, learning from my mentors and peers. With the support of this community, I look forward to building bridges between the arts, academia, and entrepreneurship, and realising the vision of meaningful, cross-disciplinary impact.

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