Last week we kicked off the academic year with Erasmus Start It Up, an intensive one-day programme that empowers you to validate and give direction to your startup idea(s). About 20 aspiring entrepreneurs joined the programme on our campus to explore the potential of their startup ideas to determine the next steps.  

In a coronaproof format, the participants were introduced to core entrepreneurial principles such as design thinking and the lean startup methodology. Throughout the day, the participants had the opportunity to exchange views with like-minded aspiring entrepreneurs during interactive sessions. Using different entrepreneurship tools such as the Value Proposition Canvas and the one-sentence pitch, the participants learned what it takes to turn their ideas into a startup. Ending the day with an effectuation roadmap, the participants gained a sense of direction for the validation of their startup ideas. 

It’s #FoundersFriday!

An advantage of being surrounded by innovative entrepreneurs at our campus is that we can ask them to share their entrepreneurial journeys with the aspiring entrepreneurs participating in our programmes! During the first edition of Erasmus Start It Up, we invited one of our community members, Kasper Kupperman, cofounder of The Green Branch to share his story and answer any pressing questions the participants had about becoming/being an entrepreneur. Here’s a sneak peek of his talk: 

During his talk, Kasper shared these inspiring tips for the aspiring entrepreneurs:  

1. Build on the shoulders of giants and don’t reinvent the wheel  
2. Be honest and humble 
3. Never lose sight of what is important to you and your business 
4. Trust your gut 
5. Always keep celebrating the small victories  

Kasper and his cofounder, Jacob Hietink, are both students of Erasmus University Rotterdam – Kasper studies at the Erasmus School of Economics and Jacob at Rotterdam School of Management. Being student entrepreneurs means that Kasper and Jacob have to carefully balance their academic and entrepreneurial needs. Luckily, the university offers a support programme for high-potential student entrepreneurs that find themselves in this situation – through guidance from dedicated study advisors and support from our starup community via the Talented Student Entrepreneur Programme! 

In other exciting news  

Entrusted by the Dutch Embassy in Iran, this week we also successfully kicked off the online #FemaleFounders programme! Over the course of four weeks, 22 participants will familiarize themselves with entrepreneurial principles, and apply several tools from the entrepreneurship process to their own businesses in the agri-food, energy and water sectors.  

Interested to know more about our startup programmes?  

Check out our webpage for an overview of all our startup programmes here or reach out to our startup programmes team via getstarted@ece.nl!