In a global economy, people are increasingly being expected to take responsibility for and ownership of their own lives.
The challenges that modern society is facing need individuals who are able to recognize and seize opportunities. People who innovate, initiate and co-create impactful solutions. People who are not afraid to take action! Developing an entrepreneurial attitude and relevant skills is vital to prepare for living in tomorrow’s world. Not only for aspiring entrepreneurs but for every single one of us!
The University of Twente has over 35 years of experience in entrepreneurship and has been elected the most entrepreneurial university of the Netherlands four times in a row. The EntrepreneurialU course is presented to you by Novel-T, the business unit of the University of Twente, that helped create businesses such as Booking.com, Lipocoat and Code Sandbox.
This summer course provides you with all the relevant skills that are vital to becoming an entrepreneur in the world of tomorrow. Moreover, it focuses on applying this knowledge in practice and simultaneously lets you gain hands-on experience from real start-ups and scale-ups through inspiring talks and Q&A sessions. Whether you want to discover the viability of your business idea, want to experience what it is like to be an entrepreneur, or want to learn the skill set to think and act like an entrepreneur, this summer course is for you! With the help of workshops and our experienced coaches and experts, you can either build a coalition around your idea or join a team that is working on something you are passionate about. If you are in search of that extra spark for your business idea, you can seek inspiration by joining one of the other summer school tracks for the first two days. At the end of the week, each team will pitch a working business concept to a panel of experts. Engage with fun-to-be-with people from a variety of backgrounds and with a wide range of interests.
In a nutshell, the following skills and knowledge will be highlighted during this course:
- Formulate a business model that integrates marketing, finance, organizational strategy and customer orientation
- Understand funding options for a new venture
- Risk and rewards of managing entrepreneurial organizations
- Use of social media to communicate with customers and other stakeholders
- Experience with managing intercultural differences in a project team
- Learning how to both give and use critical feedback from stakeholders, team members and advisors
- Understand the growth of a company beyond the start-up level
Course topics
- Do you have an A-Team?; How to gather your Start-up A-team.
- Ideation methods; How to come up with a business idea
- Value proposition statements as a foundation; Do you understand your potential customers?
- Market research and analysis; The route to your first customer.
- Patents and Intellectual property; Is it really necessary for a startup?
- Business modelling; How to convert value into money.
- Marketing; What is your company's story?
- Start-up & Scale-up visit and Q&A
- Start-up finance; How to get the cash flowing.
- Pitching and storytelling; So you think you can pitch?
Course aims
After these days in the EntreneurialU track, you will be able to:
- Identify and evaluate business opportunities
- Co-create an innovative, impactful and scalable business concept
- Add value to a high-performing team
- Learn from failure and celebrate success
- Gain experience from successful start-ups, scale-ups and spin-offs
- Confidently pitch a business idea
Course schedule
Stay tuned! More information is coming soon.
Course details
Course leader
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If you need to know more, we have information available about the fee & programme, an admission check, registration & payment, visa, accommodation and the terms & conditions.