Henley Enterprise Lab (HELAB) contributes to the success of the future leadership for digital talents summer camp for Tianjin University students
Henley Business School’s Digital Talent Academy successfully concluded its two-week Future Leadership for Digital Talents Summer Camp, held from 4 to 15 August 2025 at the University of Reading.
The programme welcomed undergraduate students from Tianjin University, China, for an immersive experience exploring the opportunities of the digital age.
The Summer Camp offered a comprehensive curriculum designed to equip students with practical skills and strategic insights into emerging digital technologies. Participants engaged with cutting-edge topics including virtual reality, the metaverse, and digital marketing, gaining hands-on experience in content creation, social media advertising, and the application of digital tools.
A key focus of the programme was the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship, highlighting how digital innovation fuels start-ups and fosters a mindset geared towards solving real-world problems. Henley Enterprise Lab (HELAB) was privileged to deliver the session on digitalisation and entrepreneurship, during which students learned to identify and develop business ideas using the Business Model Canvas, a strategic management tool for mapping out how a company creates and delivers value.
Students were divided into six teams, each tasked with selecting a business idea and presenting their Business Model Canvas to a panel of judges at the end of the second week. The ideas ranged from a care-giving robot, a creative photographic platform, a personal food planning app, a secure public laundry service, a photographic services app, and a chatbot for restaurant goers.
The final day saw high anticipation and excitement as each team pitched their ideas. After careful deliberation, the judges selected the care-giving robot ‘Penny’ as the winning concept. Branded affectionately as “not just a robot,”, Penny was envisioned as a companion for people of all ages. The judges praised the team’s deep customer insight, compelling value proposition, clear revenue model, and well-defined roadmap to market.
In the closing remarks, students expressed their immense satisfaction with the programme, describing it as “amazing” and “a memory for life.”. The Summer Camp not only provided valuable learning but also fostered cross-cultural exchange and collaboration, reinforcing Henley Business School’s commitment to developing future global leaders in the digital economy.
