Workshops

Adopting the Entrepreneurial Mindset

Instructor: Justin Kang, Co-Founder – Visible Hands and Expert in Residence, BUild Lab
Learn from BUild Lab EIR Justin Kang’s experience as a co-founder of Visible Hands, a venture capital firm investing in over 100 founders – and develop your own framework for assessing your own success potential. In a startup environment, where teams are small and resources are limited, the ability to work well with others, adapt to changing situations, and problem-solve creatively is essential to your success. Even if you don’t want to start your own company, soft skills such as leadership, time management, and emotional intelligence are highly valued by employers and can help set you apart in the job market. This workshop is perfect for anyone who is interested in entrepreneurship, whether you’re a founder, aspiring founder, or simply want to learn more about what it takes to succeed.

Networking Like a Boss

Instructors: Idicula Mathew, Co-Founder and CEO – Hera Health Solutions and Expert in Residence, Tufts University’s Derby Entrepreneurship Center and Marcus Johnson-Smith, Co-Founder & CMO of Kush Groove and EIR, Tuft’s University’s Derby Entrepreneurship Center
Ever wonder how people who know everyone get to know everyone? It’s simple: They are great networkers. A great network helps you get mentors, get a job, hire people, raise money, and generally get things done. But first, you have to build it up. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn skills and tactics that will help even the most introverted person build a world-class network that opens doors for you wherever you go.
This workshop is being offered in partnership with Tufts University’s Derby Entrepreneurship Center.

Unleash Your Creativity Through Ideation

Instructors: Kevin Oye, Director of Tufts Gordon Institute and Jaime Paris Meseguer, Founder and CEO of PRONOVA
How do you come up with a good idea? Discover creative thinking strategies for brainstorming, ideation, and converging on the next big thing. This energetic workshop will draw on product design strategies that alternate between divergent and convergent thinking to bring out the best ideas and pick the most promising ones to further explore.
This workshop is being offered in partnership with Tufts University’s Tufts Gordon Institute and Derby Entrepreneurship Center.

I Have an Idea – Now What?

Instructor: Tom Samph, Program Director – Business Ventures, Innovate@BU
This hands-on, interactive workshop will guide participants through a design sprint process to go from idea to prototype in less than 45 minutes. The tools and frameworks covered in this workshop can help you answer many important questions about a new idea or a business you’ve already been working on: Do people want what I have? Who is my target customer? Will people pay for my product or service? How are we going to reach our target customers? And more!

Customer Discovery: Don’t Mine Dry Wells – Validate Your Venture Concept!

Instructor: William E. Yelle, Co-Director – Jack M. Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship, UMass Lowell
Want to start a business, but not sure if people will actually buy what you’re selling? This workshop helps you figure that out. Whether you’re looking to make a profit, help a cause, or solve a problem, we’ll guide you through the role of customer discovery in the ongoing validation of a business venture, including business model testing, product design, pivoting, venture planning, capital raising, and ultimately commercial performance.
This workshop is being offered in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Creating Narratives That Elevate Your Venture

Instructor: Joshua Cyr, Interim Director – Peter T. Paul Entrepreneurship Center at University of New Hampshire
In this workshop/discussion we review why storytelling is so powerful, how it can move us and connect us with brands, and why it is important for startups at any stage to leverage it to make compelling pitches, marketing, and general communication. We will also examine our own ideas and how we can apply narrative to create a compelling story.
This workshop is being offered in partnership with the University of New Hampshire.

Mobilizing your Mission: Climate Edition

Instructor: Katie Quigley Mellor, Program Director – Social Impact, Innovate@BU
Want to learn how to mobilize people around a social mission? Join us for a fun, interactive workshop where you will explore strategies used by nonprofits in Boston to activate the community and apply them to a climate social mission. This is a great opportunity to connect with other social-impact-minded peers and learn about grassroots movements. No previous experience in the nonprofit or social impact sector is needed.

Fresh Business Ideas Looking for (Pre-) Seed Money

Instructor: Saira Latif, Associate Professor – Manning School of Business, UMass Lowell
You have a great business idea – but who will invest in just an idea? You have no profits, no market share, not even a fully functional prototype. Who will take a chance on you? In this workshop, we will discuss how you can go from having a business idea to a business start-up through pre-seed funding.
This workshop is being offered in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

How Investors Think

Instructor: Sheila Narayan, Managing Director – Golden Seeds and Expert in Residence at BUild Lab
Are you looking to raise funding for your start-up? Is angel and venture funding appropriate for your type of business? Or are you interested in working for a VC firm yourself? Ever wonder how investors evaluate potential investments? In this workshop, you will learn what investors want to know, how to determine if a venture is ready for funding, and what you will need to have ready to seek funding.

Pitching: Yourself, Your Story, and Your Idea

Instructor: Michael Ciuchta, Associate Professor – Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, UMass Lowell
When raising external funding, entrepreneurs will almost always have to give some form of a pitch to potential investors. In this workshop, we will go over both the performance aspects of the pitch as well as the key elements of the pitch deck. We will emphasize what to include as well as what to avoid. We will also discuss the importance of personal branding and how to authentically present yourself and your story to create a memorable and impactful pitch. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a clear understanding of how to structure their pitches, the significance of and storytelling in the entrepreneurial context.  This workshop is being offered in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Lowell.