Startup / Business
Turn an idea into a real venture.
Learn how founders, investors, and operators actually think — and prove it on your own project.
Students take a raw idea, validate it, build a basic version, and pitch it to mentors who have built companies themselves. They leave with a business — not a worksheet.
Why this domain
Why explore this field?
Entrepreneurship isn't a job title — it's a way of thinking. Every modern career rewards people who can spot problems, ship solutions, and own outcomes.
Builds ownership and decision-making early
Teaches how money, markets, and people actually interact
Develops the courage to test ideas in the real world
Opens doors to internships, accelerators, and standout applications
In the program
What students will actually do
Hands-on work, every week. No passive lectures.
Identify a real-world problem worth solving
Interview potential customers
Map a market and competitors
Design a basic business model
Build a simple MVP or landing page
Run small validation experiments
Track metrics that actually matter
Model basic financials and pricing
Pitch to mentors and respond to objections
Iterate based on real feedback
Sample projects
12 projects students can take on
A mix of beginner, intermediate, creative, research-oriented, and industry-inspired projects.
Student-Run Subscription Box
Launch a niche curated box to a small audience.
EdTech Micro-Product
A focused study tool for a specific exam.
Local Service Marketplace
Connect supply and demand in your neighbourhood.
Sustainable Fashion Brand
Concept, brand, and pre-launch a clothing line.
Creator Economy Tool
Build a tool for a specific creator workflow.
Direct-to-Consumer Food Brand
Validate a packaged food idea with real buyers.
B2B SaaS for Local Businesses
Solve a recurring pain for a specific SMB type.
Mental Wellness Service
Design a wellness offering for teenagers.
AI-Native Product Concept
Build something that only works because of AI.
Community-Led Cohort
Run a small paid cohort on a topic you know.
Re-commerce Experiment
Buy, refurbish, and resell a category of goods.
Investor Pitch for a Real Concept
Build a fundable pitch and stress-test it.
Skills developed
What students will walk away with
Technical Skills
- Customer interviews
- Market sizing
- Basic financial modelling
- Pricing and unit economics
- Landing page and MVP building
Professional Skills
- Decision making under uncertainty
- Negotiation
- Presenting and pitching
- Stakeholder communication
- Ownership and accountability
Future-Ready Skills
- Entrepreneurial thinking
- Resilience after rejection
- Bias toward action
- Comfort with ambiguity
Career pathways
Where this could lead
A glimpse of the careers students may explore — and why they're exciting.
Founder
What they do — Starts and builds companies from scratch.
Why it's exciting — Maximum agency, maximum learning.
Product Manager
What they do — Decides what to build and why.
Why it's exciting — The CEO of a product, without the title.
Venture Capital Analyst
What they do — Evaluates and backs early-stage companies.
Why it's exciting — Front-row seat to where the world is going.
Strategy Consultant
What they do — Helps companies make their biggest decisions.
Why it's exciting — Solve different problems every few weeks.
Operator at a Startup
What they do — Builds the engine that scales a young company.
Why it's exciting — Where careers compound the fastest.
Mentor experience
- Mentored by founders, operators, and early-stage investors
- Weekly working sessions, not lectures
- Honest, business-grade feedback on the pitch
- Final pitch presented to a mentor panel
Deliverables
- Validated business idea
- Landing page or MVP
- Financial model and pitch deck
- Mentor recommendation
Who should join?
- Students who already tinker with ideas
- Future founders, operators, and product builders
- Students applying to business or entrepreneurship programs
- Anyone tired of theory and ready to test reality
For parents
- Real-world judgement and decision-making practice
- Clarity on whether business is genuinely a fit
- Mentorship from people who've built real companies
- A pitch artefact that stands out in any application
- Confidence that lasts well beyond the program
FAQs
Common questions
Bring your idea. Leave with a venture.
Stop waiting for the right age. Founders are built, not born.