Start-Up Weekends – unlocking and supporting new business ideas at Cranfield

If you are a Cranfield student, researcher, alumnus/alumna or staff member with a business idea, we are here to help you!

Our Start-Up Weekends are the perfect opportunity to work with mentors and entrepreneurs to shape your ideas. 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. 

Dates for your diary

  • 10-12 March 2022 (Fully booked)
  • 28-30 April 2022 (Fully booked)

What is expected from me?

As many of our mentors will be giving up their own time in order to participate and help you to help with your ideas, we just ask that you are committed and engaged throughout the programme.

What is the expected outcome?

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 etc. 

If you have engaged in the mentoring process within the 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. 


Agenda

Thursday
   Blenheim Room, Mitchell Hall
15:30 – 16:00   Registrations 
16:00 – 16:30   Welcome & Programme Introduction
16:30 – 17:15   Keynote Inspiration
17:15 – 17:30   Break
17:30 – 19:00   Your Idea – What is it?
19:00 – 20:00   Nibbles and networking


Friday   Building 38 (CMRI)
09:30 – 10:30   Attributes and Advantages of your Idea
10:30 – 11:15   Break out rooms
11:15 – 11:45   Market Application and Commercial Advantages
11:45 – 12:30   Break out rooms
12:30 – 13:15   Lunch
13:15 – 13:45   Value proposition - customer profiling
13:45 – 14:45   Break out rooms
14:45 – 15:00   Break
15:00 – 15:30   Shared value and the role of IP
15:30 – 15:45   Break out rooms
15:45 – 16:30   Pitch the opportunity


Saturday   Building 38 (CMRI)
09:30 – 10:00   Re-cap
10:00 – 10:30   Business Models
10:30 – 11:15   Break out rooms
11:15 – 11:45   Finance 101
11:45 – 12:30   Break out rooms
12:30 – 13:00   Lunch
13:00 – 14:00   Pitch practice
14:00 – 15:30   Pitch for the panel
15.30 – 16.00   Close



Register

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