SBM Entrepreneurship Workshop – Building a Social Venture

When: Monday, November 8, 2021, 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Where:

Do you have an awesome business idea that you want to get off the ground? If so, the School of Business and Management's one-day entrepreneurship workshop is for you.

During this workshop, you will cover: 

1. The problem: What’s the problem you are trying to solve? And what’s your solution?
2. How to validate your idea: learn how to speak to potential customers in the right way to validate your market.
3. Building an MVP: Learn techniques for wireframing, user story mapping and getting your idea set up as quickly as possible.

This workshop will be held on campus, and most importantly fun! You will walk away with product management methodologies and techniques for getting your business idea off the ground!

This workshop is for you if you: 

1. Have an idea (and that’s it!) OR
2. You’ve started an early-stage company and want to learn the techniques used to reach product-market fit!

Prize: We will have a finale at the end of the workshop, first prize £500, second prize £350, third prize £150 worth of voucher to help start your project.

When: Monday 8th November 2021 8.30am - 6.30pm

Where: Bancroft Building, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Campus

Attendees: Open to all SBM undergraduates & postgraduate students (one SBM student on the team suffices).

How to apply: To apply, ideally you will need a minimum of two people per idea/company who can join the full day workshop on Monday 8th November 2021. If you only have an idea but not in a team yet, you can still apply, we will put you in a team on the day.

Each team/applicant to write a short statement (no more than a page) answering the following questions, and email to ent-hub@qmul.ac.uk by 1st November 2021, 4pm. Places at this exciting workshop are limited, so please apply early.

School of Business and Management

1. Name/idea of your startup.
2. What is the stage of your company? (idea/pre product-market fit, product-market fit,
   growth)
3. Describe your idea/company in 25 words or less.
4. A short statement about your ideas: What is the problem you are solving? And why you would like to join the workshop? (no more than 150 words)
5. Team members:
   
   1. Each team member’s name, programme and student ID.
   2. Each team member’s email address.
   3. Each team member’s phone number.
6.  Are you and all your team members (max 4) able to attend for the full day workshop at Mile End Campus? (Monday 8th March 2021 8.30am - 6.30pm (Y/N)

Informed candidates will be emailed by 5th November 2021.

Workshop Instructor: Yasmin Desai – QMUL Alumni, who previously run her own company and has worked in multiple start-ups growing operation and product functions. Delivered and led Hackathons and Bootcamps for QMUL and Kings University. Yasmin is passionate about teaching students entrepreneurial skills and building tech careers and companies. For more info visit www.yasmindesai.com.

Agenda:

Time Activities

8.00am - 8.30am: Welcome and arrival

8.30am - 10.00am: Understanding social ventures School of Business and Management (In this session we will look at the latest trends in the social space, identifying market needs and coming up with a solution to address those needs. You will team up with other members who have similar interests)

10.00am - 10.15am: Break

10.15am - 12.00pm: Validating your idea (In this session, you will learn how and how not to validate your idea. You will develop actionable skills that are used in product development methodologies to build a use case for your product. Mentors to join: Mentors will assist in this session to help guide you through the process, question your assumptions and challenge your solution)

12.00pm - 1.00pm: Lunch

1.00pm - 3.00pm: Building an MVP and developing your go-to-market strategy (In this session, you will learn how to build an MVP (user story mapping and wireframing), and you will also build the first iteration of your venture using third-party tools. We will address common pitfalls in GTM and how to think about your business model.
Mentors to join: Mentors will assist by guiding you through thinking about your first iteration, providing feedback, giving advice on what the market and potential customers and investors would need to see in terms of validation)

3.00pm - 3.20pm: Break

3.20pm - 5.00pm Developing your pitch (In this session, you will receive a template and some time to practice your pitch. You and your team should work together to develop a top-class pitch for the judges (and the rest of your cohort). Mentors to join: Mentors will assist by refining your pitch and giving advice on how to win a crowd)

5.20pm - 6.30pm Pitching competition (This is your chance to pitch to the judges who will be announced closer to the time. The judges will have varied backgrounds (VC’s, advisors, QMUL staffs).