Schedule overview
You are assigned to teams and projects a week before the programme starts. You find out which project you’ll be working on and who your fellow teammates are when we introduce you. The team’s challenge is to investigate the commercial potential of the technology (as described in the project pack) and what a route to market might be. Learn more about the types of projects we have explored (via the “Past projects” tab). You are supported through this process with the guidance of a business supervisor and regular meetings with the inventor team.
A Certificate of Completion is awarded to those who complete the entire programme, which includes full attendance and contribution to the teamwork.
Programme overview and format
Launch Night
- Cohort 13: Tuesday 26 September 2023
- Cohort 14: Tuesday 9 January 2024
Launch Night brings together the cohort for the first time; in the afternoon, you arrive at Cambridge Judge Business School and jump straight into your first workshop with your team. Later on, inventors and supervisors join. It’s a big event with planning and strategy meetings, introductions and presentations with over 100 people involved, which makes for a powerful first entrepreneurship networking experience.
Lecture intensive
- Cohort 13: Wednesday 27 September-Saturday 30 September 2023
- Cohort 14: Wednesday 10 January-Saturday 13 January 2024
The following day after the Launch, we kick off the 4-day intensive lecture series. Expect your days to be consumed from 09:00 to 21:00. There are more details about the topics and speakers on the Lectures tab.
Project work and supervisions
- Cohort 13: Monday 2 October-Friday 8 December 2023
- Cohort 14: Monday 15 January-Friday 22 March 2024
The research spell is the main focus for the remaining 9 weeks. During this time, you work individually and as a team on the project. You team has 3 structured supervisions, as well as progress meetings with the inventor team. As the end of the programme draws closer, there are workshops on video production and crafting narratives for pitching, as well as clinics where you practise your pitches.
Pitch Night and assignment submission
- Cohort 13: Pitch Night Wednesday 6 December / Assignment deadline Friday 8 December 2024
- Cohort 14: Pitch Night Wednesday 20 March / Assignment deadline Friday 22 March 2024
The finale is Pitch Night when your team takes to the stage and pitches to a panel of judges and the rest of the cohort. This also forms part of your team’s assessment.
The assignments (a 3,000-word commercial feasibility report, a 2-minute video infomercial and a 5-minute team pitch with pitch deck) require you to understand your projects like an inventor, assess commercial feasibility like a strategist, and communicate compellingly enough to attract VCs, customers and champions. Together, you need to do a great deal of research, identify meaningful insights and prepare three very different outputs.
Lecture intensive
The 4-day lecture intensive runs from the day after the Launch Night, irrespective of which cohort, so that is Wednesday 09:00 to Saturday 21:00 inclusive, including evenings. The lectures and workshops are delivered by Cambridge Judge Business School faculty, staff, fellows and specially-invited guest speakers. These are themes we cover with details of previous speakers as an illustration.
In this introductory segment, we set the scene for the lecture series and discuss fundamental concepts and themes crucial for understanding the field.
- Acing the EnterpriseTECH assignments. Stephanie Richards, Innovation Policy Specialist, 500 Startups; Executive Director, BrightView Advisors and EnterpriseTECH supervisor.
- Technological creation and disruption: the cases of watches and music streaming. Professor Mauro Guillén, Dean, CJBS.
- Entrepreneurial success and failure. Professor Matthew Grimes, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Futures, Academic Co-Director, Entrepreneurship Centre, CJBS.
- Entrepreneurship and great ideas: innovating for sustainability. Diageo Professor in Organisation Studies, CJBS.
- Process models for innovation and entrepreneurship. Prof Stelios Kavadias, Vice Dean and Margaret Thatcher Professor of Enterprise Studies in Innovation & Growth, Academic Co-Director, Entrepreneurship Centre, CJBS.
- In action: Turning ideas into innovations. Dr Hitesh Sanganee, Head of Emerging Technologies, AstraZeneca.
Learn to build and lead teams with talks and workshops that offer tools and insights. Establish a culture of clear goals, unified commitment, and team enjoyment. Self-analysis and interpretation of cognitive and personality profiles can help identify areas for growth and improve understanding of strengths and weaknesses.
- The Entrepreneurial Brain Challenge. Emily Clements, Entrepreneurial Brain Challenge, King’s College London and Imperial College London.
- High performance teams: building your SHIPS. Paul Bourne, Fellow of Creative Engagement, CJBS and Artistic Director of the Menagerie Theatre Company.
- EPIC Team building workshops. Paul Bourne, Fellow of Creative Engagement, CJBS and Artistic Director of the Menagerie Theatre Company.
- Entrepreneurs and complementary cognition. Dr Helen Taylor, Research Associate and Project Lead on the Complementary Cognition, Entrepreneurship & Societal Adaptation at the University of Strathclyde.
- In action: The epigenetics of entrepreneurship: How life’s lessons leave their mark. Dr Jason Mellad, CEO and Co-Founder, Start Codon.
Early-stage ventures must balance innovation with legal protection for their intellectual property. Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets offer different protection mechanisms. A comprehensive strategy for managing and enforcing IP, including audits and legal action, is crucial. Striking the right balance between innovation and legal protection is essential for success.
- You have had a clever idea, so what’s next? Engaging with legal counsel. Julia Gwilt, Partner and Dr Kealan Fallon, Appleyard Lees.
- Intellectual property and business models. Dr Keivan Aghasi, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, The University of Sheffield, Honorary Associate, CJBS.
- Founders keepers: IP strategy for entrepreneurs. Joseph Simon-Brown, Partner, Patent Attorney, J A Kemp LLP.
- IP Business model: capitalising on your innovation. Daniel Rooke, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Start Codon.
- In action: From fundamental research to a solution to plastic pollution. Dr Marc Rodriguez Garcia, Head of Research, Xampla Ltd
Evaluating business ideas requires market research to understand the target market, customer needs, and competition. Developing a solid business model with value proposition, revenue streams, and resources is crucial to assess financial feasibility and identify potential risks.
- From market entry to profitability: Navigating the commercialisation process. Prof Chris Coleridge, Senior Faculty in Management Practice, CJBS and Founder and CEO of Carbon13 Venture Builder.
- Finding your niche: Strategies for targeting the right customers and markets. Dr Keivan Aghasi, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, The University of Sheffield, Honorary Associate, CJBS.
- Navigating the due diligence process. Andrew Hatcher, Managing Director, The Applied Knowledge Network Ltd.
- In action: Creative Disruption: What will it take to create the tech company of the future? Ajay Chowdhury, Tech entrepreneur, writer, theatre director and Chairman of the Board for Cambridge Enterprise.
Market research requires macroeconomic analysis, profiling, and forecasting to understand customers. Test the clear value proposition before proceeding. A business model canvas visually represents the value proposition, customer segments, revenue streams, and cost structure to identify areas of opportunity and strength.
- Using the business model canvas. Ludo Chapman, Founder, The Innovation Practice.
- Accessing the right data: Tools and databases for market research. Dr Keivan Aghasi, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, The University of Sheffield, Honorary Associate, CJBS.
- Customer profiling and market analysis. Dr Keivan Aghasi, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, The University of Sheffield, Honorary Associate, CJBS.
- Connecting with your customers: How branding can influence perception and build trust. Mario Prelorenzo, Managing Director, JDJ Creative.
- Mastering the message. Simon Hall, Director, Creative Warehouse.
- The alphabet model to grasp the basics of today’s marketing. Andrew Hatcher, Managing Director, The Applied Knowledge Network.
- Beyond launch: Navigating the journey to product-market fit. Tom Britton, Co-founder, SyndicateRoom.
- In action: Aqdot: The journey of a chemtech company. Dr Jing Zhang, Co-founder and Strategy Director, Aqdot.
Early stage companies should raise funds strategically, considering equity or debt investments from angel investors, VCs or crowdfunding. A solid business plan and networking are crucial to attract investors. Focus on showcasing potential for growth while minimising risks. Choose investments that align with your goals and values.
- Financial literacy for entrepreneurs. Simon Stockley, Senior Faculty in Management Practice, Cambridge Judge Business School.
- You have the attention of the venture capitalists – now what? Ed Rayner, Commercial Director, Blok Bioscience.
- To exit or not to exit, that is the question! Prashant Shah, Co-CEO & Co-founder of o2h group.
Entrepreneurship can be challenging, especially for newcomers who may feel overwhelmed. Reflect on your progress, accomplishments, challenges faced, and lessons learned to identify areas for improvement and set future goals. Seek inspiration and learn from other successful entrepreneurs by exploring their personal stories and entrepreneurial journeys to avoid pitfalls and make better decisions.
- Venturing beyond the lab: real stories from the coalface
- Dr Rodrigo Santos, Entrepreneur in Residence at BiOrigin, Novo Seeds.
- Dr Catherine Elton, CEO and Co-Founder, Qkine.
- Dr Jason Mellad, CEO and Co-founder, Start Codon.
- Dr Gita Khalili Moghaddam, Founder and CEO of GlycoVue and TumourVue.
- Dr Geoff Smith, Founder and CEO of Syndex Bio.
Supervisions
Supervisions are a vital part of the programme during the research spell as this is where you learn how to apply the content of the taught material to the project at hand. Each team has 3 supervisions which are usually held out-of-hours at Cambridge Judge Business School around weeks 3, 5 and 8.
You prepare as a team for each supervision by exploring the following themes:
1. Evaluating the opportunity
- What is the business opportunity? What is the problem that the idea is going to address and for whom?
- What is the market need that this product meets?
- What is the size of this market? Who are your competitors?
2. Developing the business proposition
- What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the application?
- What is the optimal business model?
- Who could be the early adopters that can help validate the market need?
- Who are the potential partners that can help take the application to market?
3. Refining the research and analysis
- What is the missing information?
- What is the landscape for commercialising this technology in short, mid and long term?
- Is the customer value proposition clear and does it fit the business model?
- What are the most important issues the inventor should be aware of?
Supervisors
We have a large pool of supervisors, more than 40 in total. We need a pool this size, as not everyone is available for every cohort. Some of our current external supervisors include:
- Kevin Humphreys, Senior Director, Integrated Biological Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Ashridge Accredited Executive Coach
- Dr Taran Toor, Global Director of Wellness Innovation at Holland & Barrett
- Dr Vibha Tamboli, Business Development Manager, ICR/CRUK
- Dr Rodrigo Santos, Entrepreneur in Residence at BiOrigin, Novo Seeds
- Vincenzo Garzya, MBA,Head of Business Planning and Operations and Chief of Staff, Data Science and AI, AstraZeneca
- Stephanie Richards, Innovation Policy Specialist, 500 Startups; Executive Director, BrightView Advisors
- Dr Robert Crawford, Associate Director, Customer Collaboration, Cambridge Epigenetix
- Dr Keith Jones, Commercialisation Manager, Babraham Institute
- Michelle Ng, VC, Namier Capital
- Dr James Patterson, Co-founder and Head of Discovery Research at Xap Therapeutics