Opened in February 2024, the space is home to 22 external startups and acts as a launchpad for entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n
Those based at the Vine Street office, with its boardroom, private pods and events and meeting areas, are given discounted rates on prime location desk space. In return, they sign up to work with the university and its students, including offering mentoring and other opportunities.<\/p>\n
Agarwal, from Kolkata in India, kicked off his co-op experience in January when taking a position with Wavery Consulting<\/a>, a firm based at the hub, helping them with their go-to-market strategy.<\/p>\n A second placement followed \u2014 from June until September \u2014 working with Z\/Yen<\/a>, a commercial think tank based in the city\u2019s traditional finance district.<\/p>\n With no letup in between, he was back to the startup hub, with its view of a surviving part of the city\u2019s Roman wall<\/a>, for his third co-op, this time having secured a position with consultancy firm Stratinn<\/a>.<\/p>\n Agarwal\u2019s co-op experiences have not come at the expense of being involved with the university community. The 20-year-old was formerly president of the Finance Society and is currently a Husky ambassador, a role that sees him help prospective students understand what studying at Northeastern entails.<\/p>\n \u201cI love it,\u201d the third-year student said of his balance between work and study. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery new or prospective student I speak to, I always tell them, \u2018You have no clue what\u2019s waiting for you.\u2019 The number of opportunities that London as a city, and with Northeastern being in London, has to offer, is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n Agarwal dreams of landing a job in consultancy when he graduates and eventually hopes to establish his own business. For him, the opportunities afforded by Northeastern and the startup hub have offered the first stepping stones toward realizing that dream.<\/p>\n \u201cNortheastern, because of the teaching model it has, I think, has really put the students at an advantage,\u201d he said<\/p>\n \u201cA company that is in a hiring position \u2026 what it really cares about is if you have some work experience that you\u2019re bringing in with you. That\u2019s why I feel like Northeastern really worked out for me. This co-op model, I think, is a big hit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The startup hub was a factor in Northeastern\u2019s London campus being named as part of the six-institution shortlist in the \u201cOutstanding Entrepreneurial University\u201d category at the Times Higher Education Awards<\/a>. A winner is due to be announced by the British magazine in November.<\/p>\n Co-ops are not the only opportunities available at the startup hub. Tech fund EdenBase, one of the resident businesses, has announced that it will create openings for 20 students to assist with its new quantum investment venture.<\/p>\n Situated in a bespoke area of the hub called QBase, students will complete research and due diligence on quantum companies that EdenBase is looking to invest in with its planned $100 million fund.<\/p>\n Company co-founder Eric van der Kleij<\/a> told attendees at QBase\u2019s launch last month that its move into quantum had proved an \u201camazing opportunity\u201d in its relationship with Northeastern.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve enabled us to create something quite unique that we hope will be very successful and scale globally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The partnership, which includes associate professor in computer science Tobias Hartung<\/a> serving as an adviser to the fund, has already benefited from student involvement<\/a>, van der Kleij added.<\/p>\n The former Downing Street tech adviser explained how EdenBase this year commissioned students undertaking a business administration master\u2019s degree to carry out research on which companies and countries might be ripe for early backing by quantum investors.<\/p>\n \u201cThey went a bit further than we asked,\u201d he said. \u201cThey actually built a tool that allows us to filter by region and figure out which ones have failed. Actually understanding as an investor which ones have failed and why is very important.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we already had that benefit and we\u2019re now planning the next phase, which is students having an opportunity to work with the quantum fund to help produce the competitive analysis for each company. For students in the room, we think it will make you the most employable [graduates] after the work we do together.\u201d<\/p>\n Naomi Goulder<\/a>, deputy dean on Northeastern\u2019s London campus, said EdenBase had \u201creally pioneered the way in something that is absolutely central to Northeastern\u2019s vision\u201d of experiential education.<\/p>\n Two students in the audience hearing about future opportunities at the QBase launch were Meriam Chebil<\/a>, 20, and Anton Pollio, 21. The two are on the leadership team at Northeastern Young Entrepreneurs<\/a> (NYE), a student group that also offers real-world work experience.<\/p>\n It allows students the chance to work on a consultancy challenge with a startup business. The prize at the end is an internship with the partner.<\/p>\n![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Eric-van-der-Kleij_1400.jpg\")
EdenBase co-founder, Eric van der Kleij, praised the partnership his tech investment fund enjoys with Northeastern at the startup hub. Courtesy photo<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CVPL8493-copy.jpg\")
Vyom Agarwal (second from left) has undertaken three co-op placements, with two of them based at Northeastern\u2019s startup hub. Photo by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University<\/p>\n