New course gives opportunity for post-grads to pitch start up ideas to investors

CIEE Launches eLab – a fast track course for tomorrow’s entrepreneurs: Berlin or London-based six-week intensive courses teach post-graduates the skills needed to start a new business

CIEE has expanded its portfolio of worldwide education and cultural exchange programs with the introduction of eLab, an entrepreneurship certificate program for post-graduates who are interested in learning the skills needed to develop, launch, and operate a new business.

eLab (short for Entrepreneur Lab) courses will start in January 2019 at CIEE’s Global Institutes in London and Berlin, multicultural cities with vibrant start-up cultures. eLab offers two six-week intensive courses: Emerging eLab, an introductory moduledesigned for participants who want to get their business idea investor-ready or their start-up ready to launch, and Advanced eLabfor participants who are ready to further develop and grow a newly launched business. These courses bring to life the eLab aim of shaping tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.

Participants can take a single eLab program or both six-week programs back to back to get the benefit of two coordinated courses. They can even take one program in Berlin, the other in London, in order to explore the business climate of both entrepreneurial cities.

Participants will visit successful start-ups and connect with experienced mentors as well as take part in group learning sessions. In addition, eLab participants gain access to potential funders through off-site networking and pitch sessions with investors, representatives of accelerators, and others who can help take new business ideas to fruition.

Key partners will add value to the courses giving participants access to unique sources of inspiration and information. Google for Entrepreneurs, EY and other consultants will pass on knowledge about innovation culture and act as judges in the final pitch. Major VCs and investors including Project A Ventures and Lakestar, accelerators APX and The Bakery and successful start-ups like ROLI will provide participants with valuable insights on how to adapt to the local market. In London, the Mayor’s London & Partners agency is also participating.

“More and more university graduates worldwide want to start their own business right after graduation,” said Dagmar Hoppe, Director of eLab. “But many lack the core skills, knowledge, experience, and access to resources required to establish a new enterprise. eLab’s experiential learning programme and networking opportunities can help participants quickly bridge the gap between dreaming of success and achieving the dream.”

The short modular format of the courses have a focus on design thinking, and will help budding entrepreneurs quickly cultivate core business skills including finance, funding, business planning, designing prototypes, understanding business ethics, data analysis, and impact measurement. The wide-ranging course content makes eLab perfect for recent graduates and working professionals who are hungry for experience they can’t get in the confines of narrowly defined jobs.

Across both courses all eLab participants will be tutored by leading entrepreneurs and given the tools they need to solve relevant problems, have the freedom to develop and test ideas in a nurturing environment, gain access to a potential funders and have the opportunity to participate in off-site networking and pitch sessions with investors, representatives of accelerators and others who can help take new business ideas to fruition, and become part of the CIEE network of more than 400,000 people across 42 countries where entrepreneurs can discover future opportunities.

Alison Coward, Founder of Bracket and eLab Advisory Board Member: “The eLab program will equip participants with the skills they need to set up and run their own business including building ideas, spotting opportunities, solving problems, understanding the customer and finding interesting ways to promote themselves. The program really mirrors how the start-up world is quickly evolving and will give participants that entrepreneurial mindset needed to set up and run their own successful business.”

eLab is also proud to be supporting entrepreneurs though its scholarship programmes, including Founding Females Scholarship to support qualified female applicants, Community Impact Scholarship, to support participants passionate about social entrepreneurship and contributing to their local home community, and the Global Innovators Scholarship to support scalable business ideas.

About eLab: eLab fosters entrepreneurship and equips young leaders with the skills they need to launch their own business. eLab’s rigorous, condensed programs provide recent graduates and working professionals with the tools, mentorship, hands-on experience, and networking opportunities they need to bring their business visions to fruition, faster.