Summer Startup Programme
Unleash your Ideas: Launch your Impact in the World.
Apply now for the 2023/24 Summer Startup Programme…
The UCE Summer Startup Programme is your opportunity to explore your ideas, transforming your passions into action, and launching your impact in the world. We help fast-track your ideas into action, helping you launch commercial ventures and social enterprises that create value in the world.
Over 10 action-packed weeks, we create a supportive environment that will help you to build and develop your entrepreneurial mindset, while providing with the capabilities and support to explore, validate, and launch your venture.
Providing you with the opportunity to unleash your potential, build value, and create impact in the world.
Apply Now!
Programme Details:
The Programme provides you with a dedicated workspace and a community of founders at the UC Centre for Entrepreneurship. We’ll immerse you in an action-packed series of interactive workshops, inspiring speakers and industry experts, alongside connecting you with experienced mentors to accelerate and launch your venture.
Topics covered during the Programme include:
- Problem definition and market validation
- Customer value propositions and journey mapping
- Business Fundamentals, revenue and cost models, Intellectual property, ...
- Minimum viable product development
- Pathways to market and commercialisation
- Team building and time management
- Pitching
At the culmination of the Summer Startup Programme, 10 ventures will be selected to pitch and showcase their venture ideas to a room-packed full of investors, startup advisors, mentors, and industry experts. Providing you with the opportunity to propel your idea into the world.
Scholarships:
In conjunction with the programme, UCE has a limited number of Summer Startup Scholarships to offer students and to assist them with working on their ventures over the summer period.
All applications for the Summer Startup Programme are automatically considered for the Scholarship. UC Student Enrolment as of 17th September 2023 criteria applies.
Applications close Sunday 17th September!
Apply Now!
If you want to find out more about the Summer Startup Programme, contact uce@canterbury.ac.nz
or feel free to pop up and see us at UCE, Level 6, Rehua Building, University of Canterbury.
Follow the journey:
- A diversity of ideas
- Innovative concepts
- Desirability, Viability, and Feasibility of ideas, alongside their potential to generate value in the world.
- How much impact the Summer Startup Programme will have on you and your future!
- 20-25 ventures selected
- Any UC student, with an idea, enrolled at least until the 17th of September 2023 can apply!
- Individuals or teams are welcome to apply to participate.
- Selected participants are expected to be able to commit full-time to the development of their venture during the duration of the Summer Startup Programme. Except for the Christmas/New Year break, each weekday will feature an action-packed series of workshops, inspiring and industry expert speakers, and mentoring.
- Any scholarships awarded are for ventures (not individuals), and teams will need to split scholarships between members at their own discretion. At-least one member from each team will be expected to participate full-time.
The Summer Startup Programme kicks-off on Wednesday 15th November and runs through to until Thursday 8th February 2024, with our acclaimed Summer Startup Showcase event.
Applications are open from Monday 7th August until midnight, Sunday 17th September. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to turn your dreams into reality…
| Key Dates: | Activity: |
|---|---|
|
Monday 7th August, 2023 |
Applications Open |
|
Sunday 17th September, 2023 |
Applications close |
|
Monday 25th September – Friday 6th October, 2023 |
Applicant Interviews |
|
Monday 9th October, 2023 |
Successful Applicants notified |
|
Wednesday 15th November, 2023 |
Summer Startup Programme starts |
|
Saturday 16th December, 2023 – Sunday 7th January, 2024 |
Christmas / New Year break |
|
Monday 8th January, 2024 |
Summer Startup programme re-starts |
|
Thursday 8th February, 2024 |
Summer Startup Showcase event |
|
Key Dates: |
Activity: |
|
Monday 7th August, 2023 |
Applications Open |
|
Sunday 17th September, 2023 |
Applications close |
|
Monday 25th September – Friday 6th October, 2023 |
Applicant Interviews |
|
Monday 9th October, 2023 |
Successful Applicants notified |
|
Wednesday 15th November, 2023 |
Summer Startup Programme starts |
|
Saturday 16th December, 2023 – Sunday 7th January, 2024 |
Christmas / New Year break |
|
Monday 8th January, 2024 |
Summer Startup programme re-starts |
|
Thursday 8th February, 2024 |
Summer Startup Showcase event |
During the application process you will be asked questions relating to:
- Your personal details including student id, area of study, and contact information.
- Idea/Venture Name
- Idea Summary e.g. overview of problem, solution, and unique value proposition and how it would be delivered/channels (500 words)
- Who your idea serves? e.g. who will it benefit and create value for? (500 words)
- Current status of your idea? e.g. what progress have you made to date? Is your idea in ideation stage, product development/commercialisation stage?
- Any IP considerations/ownership related to your venture? (it is fine if you don’t know yet)
- What would you personally like to gain from participating in the Summer Startup Programme? (500 words)
- Your career aspirations? (500 words)
*Note: If you have a team (ie. more than one person), you each need to apply separately but can reuse the answers to idea/venture specific questions.
In 2022/2023, we supported a diverse range of 19 student ventures in the Summer Startup Programme. You can follow their journey on UCE social media channels and watch our Showcase video.
Summer Startup Programme 2022/23
- All ventures article
- Showcase Award winners:
--- Innovation Award - Krzysztof Maliszewski
--- Impact Award - David Pethybridge with RoadVac
--- Most Well-Developed Venture Award – Monique Lau with endosoothe
--- Presentation Award - Marcus Davidson with Coop
--- People’s Choice Award – Tom McGuinness and Jack Carrick with NailedIt Nutrition
If you want to find out more about the Summer Startup Programme, contact uce@canterbury.ac.nz
Our Alumni:
Over the last 11 years the Summer Startup programme has been the starting point for a host impact making entrepreneurs and ventures. Past alumni include:
- Hannah Duder – co-founder of Indigo & Iris / Little Yellow Bird
- Ben Scales and William Murrell – KiwiFibre
- Chris Bacon & Jack Wood – Komodo Wellbeing
- Luke Campbell & Lucy Turner – VXT
