This innovative four-day programme offers the opportunity to bring your ideas to life. It goes through all the stages of starting a business and connects you with experts and like-minded people. It offers a unique opportunity to test your solutions, refine your direction, and build a real, market-ready prototype.

The programme is specifically designed for both students and researchers of UvA’s Humanities Faculty and creates a collaborative environment with peers who share your passion for humanities-driven innovation. We welcome students with a developed project or a concrete idea, as well as researchers eager to share their research ideas with aspiring entrepreneurs. The programme is organized in partnership with Caempus and VU. 

Programme details

• Date: October 28, October 29, October 31, and November 01, from 09:00 until 17:30.
• Location: in person, at Oudemanhuispoort, University of Amsterdam and VU.
• Who can participate? students, staff, researchers and alumni of UvA’s Faculty of Humanities. In some cases people from outside the UvA community can participate. We welcome all humanities related initiatives.
• Registration: you can register by filling in the form via the link below. Registrations close on October 25.
• Attendance is advised for all four days. Please reach out to us if you want to join the programme despite not being available for all four days.
• Language: English
• Costs: free of charge

Full programme

Day 1 (October 28): The Entrepreneur in you

• Discover the entrepreneur within you and unleash your potential.
• Dive into future market trends and spot emerging opportunities.
• Embrace the theory of change and direct your idea towards impactful outcomes.

Day 2 (October 29): Customer Insights and Design Thinking

• Put your idea to the test and gather real customer feedback.
• Master design thinking to deeply empathize with your target audience.
• Build detailed personas based on genuine insights and experiences.

Day 3 (October 31): Prototyping and Business Modeling

• Bring your concept to life with hands-on prototyping.
• Craft a robust business model tailored to your innovative idea.
• Validate your solution by testing it directly with potential customers.

Day 4 (November 01): Refinement and Pitching

• Refine your idea based on collected insights for maximum impact.
• Develop a compelling pitch that captures your vision and value.
• Plan your future with a comprehensive roadmap, including funding strategies and experimental milestones.

Is this programme a fit for you?

1. You have a specific idea or research outcome that you’re ready to start developing into a prototype.
2. You are prepared to dedicate four days of intensive work on your idea or research, transforming it into a market-ready concept.
3. You are looking for guidance on how to validate and refine your idea, with the goal of creating something that could create impact.

Are you not quite ready to build a prototype and are still exploring your idea? Then our Explore Programme might be a better fit.

Do you already have a prototype, then consider joining the Acceleration Programme.