Unlocking and supporting new business ideas at Cranfield
If you are a Cranfield student, researcher, alumni or staff member with a business idea, we are here to help you!
Start-Up Weekends are the perfect opportunity to work with peers, mentors, and entrepreneurs to shape your ideas. We create an open and safe environment to share your own ideas, gain knowledge and test your ideas with seasoned business professionals.
This is a unique opportunity to work closely with mentors to work through big ideas and turn problems into business opportunity.
Some of the topics covered across our weekends include:
- Who's Your Customer?
- Market Application and Commercial Advantages
- Value Proposition
- Business Models
- Raising Capital
Following each session, you will be given the chance to break into small groups and talk through your idea with an experienced entrepreneur. At the end of the weekend, you will get the opportunity to practice pitching your idea and will receive feedback on both your pitch and how to take your idea forward from this point.
Start-Up Weekends are part of the Venture Programme, an extracurricular programme designed to unlock the entrepreneurial spirit of every Cranfield student hosted by the university’s entrepreneurial hub, the Bettany Centre.
Hear from previous Start-Up Weekend participants
Gain a Cranfield Enhance: Entrepreneurship badge
A Cranfield Enhance digital badge is an opportunity to showcase your skills to prospective employers via your social media profile. The badges are widely recognised by employers as a mark of expertise and dedication. In the current challenging environment, entrepreneurship is now more critical than ever as it drives economic growth and fosters innovation. Being an entrepreneur involves more than just launching and operating your own company. Thinking creatively and coming up with innovative solutions to challenges are hallmarks of an entrepreneurial mindset, which is becoming increasingly important in both academic and corporate settings, not only in start-ups.
The 'Ideation' badge will provide you with basic business skills and knowledge on how to take an idea into a business venture. You will have the opportunity to share and test your own ideas with the support of business professionals and work closely with mentors to turn problems into real business opportunities. Completing this badge will provide you with basic knowledge of customer segmentation, value propositions, business models, finance and stakeholder management.
To gain an ‘Ideation’ badge, you will need to submit a short application in advance, outlining the idea you would like to explore over the weekend. The start-up weekend is the perfect opportunity to work with peers, mentors, and entrepreneurs to shape your ideas. We create an open and safe environment to share your own ideas, gain knowledge and test your ideas with seasoned business professionals. Cranfield Enhance is open to current students of Cranfield University - please visit the Canvas page to enrol.
Agenda
- 20 – 22 March 2025 | Start-Up Weekend Level 1
- 24 – 25 April 2025 | Start-Up Weekend Level 2 (Invite only – based on successful completion of Level 1)
Who is it for?
Cranfield students, researchers, alumni or staff members with a business idea.
What is expected from me?
As many of our mentors will be giving up their own time to facilitate your business idea development, we ask that you are committed and engaged throughout the three-day programme. Bring a bright positive attitude!
What do I get out of the weekend?
Crucially, the weekend helps you to get out of your comfort zone and really engage with the entrepreneurial mindset to finding opportunity in challenge.
If your idea and/or your team look viable we will provide you with further support through mentoring, advice (legal and financial) and other routes to markets.
If you have engaged in the mentoring process within Bettany Centre and we think that you have a viable idea, you may be invited to pitch for investment at Investor Day. This is not a guaranteed outcome and will only be offered to those individuals that are committed and show genuine potential.
Speakers and Facilitators
Dr Orsolya Ihasz
Her research interest focuses on responsible innovation management and social impact measurement especially in public health. As well as leading the Venture Programme, she is also an external advisor to the WHO on scaling digitally enabled health interventions for tackling non-communicable diseases globally.
Shana Chu
Founder and CEO of Tailr
Thursday 20 March, 5.30pm – 7pm
Shana Chu is the Founder and CEO of Tailr, a B2B SaaS platform transforming fashion manufacturing by ensuring fabric consistency and garment feasibility before production. An expert garment technologist, Shana combines deep industry knowledge with AI to solve a key challenge in fashion: achieving precision in fit and reducing waste. Under her leadership, Tailr has gained international recognition, secured significant investment, and partnered with global brands to drive efficiency and sustainability in production.
Who should attend?
Cranfield students, researchers, alumni or staff members with a business idea.
Location & travel details
The Gallery - CMRI Building 38, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL
Download a visitor guide including map, directions and health and safety information.
Accommodation
Please contact Cranfield Management Development Centre directly +44 1234 751122 for accommodation bookings.
Apply now
Applications for Start-Up Weekend March 2025 are now closed.
You can view any upcoming programmes as part of the Venture Programme here.
Eligible to apply for Level 2?
In Level 2 of the Start-Up Weekend in April, we will gather successful individuals from Level 1 and those who are ready for a more in-depth understanding and build on their ideas to then pitch at Investor Day and potentially apply for the Seed Fund.
In some cases, we may have referrals that go directly to Level 2; for example, people working out of the Eagle Labs and AVIATE+ on campus.
Please contact bettanycentre@cranfield.ac.uk to verify eligibility.
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