Programme schedule

Overview

EnterpriseTECH STAR is a hands-on educational experience supported by a large pool of mentors. The programme aims to equip researchers with the skills and tools to critically evaluate their technologies and develop viable business concepts in preparation for founding new ventures.

The curriculum combines structured teaching with individual and group activities, promoting both theoretical understanding and practical application. The taught component is further enhanced by dedicated individual mentoring.

"You can't be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute."

Tina Fey, actress and writer

Cohort V programme dates

Date	Event
Wednesday 9 April 2025	Launch event
Thursday 10-Saturday 12 April 2025	Module 1: People and products
Friday 25-Saturday 26 April 2025	Module 2: The market place
Friday 9-Saturday 10 May 2025	Module 3: CEO 101
Friday 23-Saturday 24 May 2025	Module 4: Personal expeditions
Thursday 5-Saturday 7 June 2025	Module 5: First class delivery
Sunday 8 June 2025	Submission deadline
Monday 9 June 2025	Investor pitches and Showtime!

Discover, explore, and absorb

In the early stages, participants assess their business ideas, build a compelling narrative, and identify key markets and potential customers.

People & Products

This module emphasises the synergy between people and products. Students explore personal traits and competencies that shape leadership and identify where and for whom value is created.

Teaching and mentoring time: 28 hours / 3 days (Thu–Sat).

The Market Place

This module focuses on translating ideas to market readiness, understanding customer psychology, brand communication, marketing, and attracting investment.

Teaching and mentoring time: 18 hours / 2 days (Fri–Sat).

Refine and commit

Midway through the programme, participants sharpen their concepts, integrating insights to develop a focused business strategy.

CEO 101

This module introduces essential CEO skills, covering financial decision-making, team building, earning trust, creating impact, technology choices, stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and fundraising.

Teaching and mentoring time: 18 hours / 2 days (Fri–Sat).

Articulate and deliver

In the final phase, participants prepare and present a comprehensive business proposal tailored for diverse stakeholders.

Personal Expeditions

This module examines how entrepreneurial experiences reshape perspectives while preserving the researcher-entrepreneur’s core identity and authenticity.

Teaching and mentoring time: 18 hours / 2 days (Fri–Sat).

First-Class Delivery

This module covers the key elements of delivering a first-class product or service, including marketing, customer loyalty, and aligning resources for impactful results. The module culminates in the communication of participants’ visions for their new businesses to a wide audience during Showtime! and Experience the Investor on Pitch Day.

Teaching and mentoring time: 38 hours / 4 days (Thu–Sat and Mon).

Personalised guidance and expert support

The programme’s 2-tiered mentoring system provides participants with a personal mentor and dedicated one-to-one mentoring sessions across five Saturday afternoons.

With a network of over 40 mentors, each student is matched with a personal mentor who offers tailored guidance and oversight throughout the 10-week programme, fostering relationships that often extend beyond its duration.

On programme Saturdays, after talks and workshops, students have the opportunity to book sessions with 6–8 mentors. These interactions are designed to provide expert advice on scientific, technical, and entrepreneurial topics, aligning with the mentors’ areas of expertise. Typically, 15–20 mentors attend in person, with additional online support available for broader accessibility.

I have a first-hand insider's understanding of EnterpriseTECH STAR and have participated from the inception in any way that I can. I’m involved because the programme’s vision is to provide deeply technical researchers with an intensive experience education in entrepreneurship. This is important because – it surely cuts all of us – that the amazing inventions of Cambridge are more successfully commercialised, scaled-up and acquired by the Americans. Moreover, the STAR students (inventors themselves) gain a greater understanding of how to nurture and develop their own ideas into sustainable businesses, ensuring they can avoid avoidable mistakes and retain control and influence over their inventions and businesses for far longer. EnterpriseTECH STAR has been meticulously designed from scratch. It is chock full of creative flourishes, with standard and non-standard teaching methods. If there is a better programme out there, I don't know what it is. Just wait and see how many new entrepreneurs and ventures emerge from STAR over a 5 to 10-year horizon. The contribution to Cambridge, the UK, and the impact on wider society will be huge. The EnterpriseTECH STAR programme has been meticulously designed from scratch under visionary leadership. It is chock full of creative flourishes, with standard and non-standard teaching methods. The programme team are super, and the students are supremely motivated. Just wait and see how many new entrepreneurs and ventures emerge from STAR over a 5-10 year horizon. The contribution to Cambridge, the UK, and the impact on wider society will be huge.

Prashant Shah, co-CEO and co-Founder, o2h group

Visit the o2h group website