Henley Summer Start-Up Boot Camp

Many students have ideas for a business that they would someday love to run, but it can feel overwhelming to know how to start a business from scratch. The Boot Camp helps attendees learn about setting up a business from the ground up over the course of a week. Each day of the Boot Camp focuses on a different key skill for any aspiring entrepreneur, from building a website to outlining how to make sales, which gives participants the confidence and tools to start a business.

The Boot Camp is completely free to join and is open for applications from all current students and alumni of Henley Business School and the University of Reading. Local residents in or around Reading are also welcome to apply for a place on the course.

The full timetable for the 2023 Boot Camp is as follows:

20 March 2023, Henley Summer Start-Up Boot Camp Opens for Applications

16 June 2023, Henley Summer Start-Up Boot Camp Closes for Applications

19-23 June 2023, 10:00am to 3:00pm, Henley Summer Start-Up Boot Camp (held online via Zoom)

The 2022 Summer Start-Up Boot Camp was held online between 20-24 June 2022 and was a big success, with dozens of participants joining in and getting hands-on to create their businesses. Read the news release of the 2022 Boot Camp here.

An impact report on the 2022 Boot Camp has also been released, showcasing how participants benefited. Read the full report here.

This is what attendees of the 2022 Summer Start-Up Boot Camp said about their experience of participating:

Zoe Henderson, BSc Business and Management student: "I found the course extremely informative and helpful. It's given me more guidance about being an entrepreneur than the first year of my degree has! I've come away feeling much more confident. My biggest takeaway is that you don't need to have the product in your hand to sell it."

Rasha Hijazeen, PhD in Politics student: "The opportunity to share my idea with professionals, as well as other participants has been a huge step into turning it into an actual business. The Boot Camp has been a safe environment; as a participant, I didn't hesitate to ask any question and didn't have the pressure to figure it all out. The magnitude of practical information and experiences shared by insightful conveners have encouraged me to pitch my start-up business to potential customers."

Cassandra Renaut, MBA student: "I feel energised by the content. The actionable, achievable advice is super practical - things like 'start before you’re ready' give you permission to get started, which I think in this small business, entrepreneurial space is important to hear. There's a whole community out there that I can access. My biggest takeaway is it has changed how I'm going to spend the money I got from the IDEAFEST Student Business Idea Competition and the Greenshoots Seed Finance Award Scheme. If I had not done this course, I'm pretty sure I would have wasted this money that I got and spent it on things that don't actually lead to sales."