“Everything starts with a fika, that’s just the way it is in Sweden!”, Zeeshan says with a laugh, when he speaks about his networking experiences in Sweden. He’s the Business Administration alumni, JU student, marketing coordinator and idea hamster from Punjab, Pakistan, with one foot in school and the other foot on the run towards the dream of one day running his own business. If you’ve met him you probably know he’s super passionate about entrepreneurship and doesn’t hesitate to share his thoughts on it with others.
Zeeshan takes every opportunity to learn about – and inspire others to explore – the world of entrepreneurship. Before he moved to Sweden to begin his master’s degree, he was an associate consultant at a Management Consulting firm in Punjab. There, he was involved in several startup journeys and got up close and personal with the challenges – and opportunities – that’s part of the entrepreneurial life. A life he wanted to get to know better. And that’s why he didn’t hesitate to join Science Parks community and the student association StartUp Jönköping, when he moved to Sweden.
StartUp Jönköping’s goal is to inspire fellow students at Jönköping University to get interested in entrepreneurship. Science Park works closely with the association and it was through the co-created student event “Pitchers corner” that Zeeshan got in touch with the business developer Yankuba for the first time.
Yankuba instantly introduced me to many new opportunities and contacts. That’s what I love so much about Science Park: the network you get through the community. Because in the end of the day your skills and competence has no value if you don’t have people around you who can provide opportunities, Zeeshan explains.
– You get a chance to explore and develop yourself as a person. “How?” you might think? By always putting your self in to new and uncertain situation. It’s also an opportunity to test yourself and see what skills and qualities you can bring to the table.
What’s the first thing you should do if you want to start a company as a student?
– As an international student – learn Swedish. It’s important in order to create a relationship with your customer. If you can speak Swedish it’s easier to get a good connection, because most people are more comfortable speaking in their own language.
At Science Park we believe that anyone who has a dream of starting a consulting business in their field of studies should have the opportunity to do so. We also believe that anyone that wants to be part of an existing start-up to help them elevate should also do so – especially students. That’s why we would also love to help you get started! Here you can read more about how Science Park can support you in finding assignments as a student consultant, or try your skills in a startup as an student resource.
Turn your ideas into something great
