Ask An Expert: The Idea Sprint
Interested in entrepreneurship but not sure where good ideas actually come from?
Every startup, project and innovative solution begins with recognising a problem worth solving. The challenge isn't simply having an idea. It's learning how to spot opportunities, make sense of challenges and turn observations into something worth exploring.
Join us for our monthly Ask An Expert session as we explore The Idea Sprint, an interactive discussion focused on idea generation, opportunity spotting and early-stage entrepreneurial thinking.
This month, we'll hear from two entrepreneurs who took very different paths to building something new.
Sarah Shaefer recently founded StableNarrative, an AI tool helping organisations ensure crypto financial marketing complies with FCA regulations and is now building Kitchen Cabinet, an AI campaign manager designed to support underfunded political candidates. A graduate of the University of St Andrews MSc in Entrepreneurship, Sarah has worked across theatre, political strategy, startup marketing and emerging technologies, bringing a unique perspective on how ideas evolve into ventures.
Evan Patel is a second-year Management student and founder of St Andrews Tickets (St Tix), a student only ticket resale marketplace which he built using AI coding agents. Since launching in September, hundreds of students have joined the platform, which aims to make buying and selling tickets safer and fairer within the student community.
Through short presentations and an audience Q&A, Sarah and Evan will share the stories behind their ideas, how they identified opportunities, what inspired them to take action and the lessons they learned while turning concepts into reality.
During the session, we'll explore:
How entrepreneurs identify problems worth solving
Where new venture ideas come from
Techniques for generating and developing ideas
How to move from an initial concept to meaningful action
Lessons learned from building early-stage ventures
The realities of testing ideas and adapting along the way
Audience questions and discussion with both speakers
Thinking about entering What's the Big Idea?
This session is an ideal starting point for anyone looking to develop an idea, identify a challenge worth exploring or begin shaping a potential competition submission.
No previous entrepreneurial experience is required. Just bring your curiosity and your questions.