When: February-May 2025
Starters Academy is a oldest entrepreneurship program that runs once a year at NOVA on the 2nd semester of the academic year. Over the past 16 years hundreds of NOVA students have benefited from this course. Starters Academy aims to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit of NOVA’s Students and to equip them with the fundamental tools for creating a start-up through a practical approach, supported by a panel of experts and recognized trainers in the field.
This multidisciplinary course is made up of students from all the NOVA Academic Units, who pass the selection process. The skills acquired in this course are valuable not only to those who want to create their own startup but also to develop entrepreneurship skills which can a be a competitive advantage in the recruitment processes of startups or established companies.
Program Content
Classes will always be face-to-face from 5pm to 8pm.
Please note that location changes to ensure students have the opportunity to meet the different campuses or spots part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
| # | Date | Subject | Professor | Place (To be confirmed) |
| 1 | 26th February | Introduction to the Entrepreneurial Process | Pedro Neves | Senate Room |
| 2 | 05th March | Social Entrepreneurship | Joana Castro e Costa/Go Parity (tbc) | Casa do Impacto |
| 3 | 12th March | Design Thinking | Guilherme Vitorino | NOVA IMS (Innovation & Analytics Lab) |
| 4 | 19th March | Marketing Principles | António Marinho Torres + Glooma (tbc) | Senate room |
| 5 | 25th March | Business Planning | Paulo Soares de Pinho | (tbc) |
| 28th March | Entrepsim Begins | Enrollment | ||
| 31st March | Entrepsim Decision | Round 0 | ||
| 6 | 2nd April | Innovation, product development and the lean process (build-measure-learn). | Fernanda Llussá | Senate room |
| 7th April | Entrepsim Decision | Round 1 | ||
| 7 | 9th April | Prototyping and Manufacturing | Beatriz Couto + Fablab | NOVA FCT |
| 21st April | Entrepsim Decision | Round 2 | ||
| 8 | 23rd April | Creating and Managing Entrepreneurial Teams | Susana Carvalho | Senate Room |
| 28th April | Entrepsim Decision | Round 3 | ||
| 9 | 30th April | Financing New Ventures | Paulo Soares de Pinho | Senate Room |
| 05th May | Entrepsim Decision | Round 4 | ||
| 10 | 7th May | Protecting Exploitation of Intellectual Property | IPSI+Team Genesis/Spin-off (Cellmabs – tbc) | NOVA School of Law |
| 12th May | Entrepsim Decision | Round 5 | ||
| 11 | 14th May | How to pitch your idea? | Ana Sofia Esteves + Tocha (Olissipo Way) | Startup Lisboa |
| 19-24th May | Pitch Practice | NOVA Impact Team | Rectorate | |
| 12 | 29th May | Final DEMO DAY | ALL TEAMS | Auditorium B Rectorate |
Methodology
Starters Academy is taught exclusively in English, three hours a week.
Selected students can be Portuguese or foreign, essentially at the Master’s level, but undergraduate students can also apply, as long as they demonstrate their dedication and commitment to the project.
Students will be organized into teams, each of which will be composed of at least two students from different NOVA academic units. The teams will work together in the development of a business plan and also in the decision making of the simulation game EntrepSim, which creates a simulator environment for a technological start-up and its challenges in product development and attracting investment and licensing.
At the end of the program, the teams will pitch their project in the final DEMO DAY to a panel of Jury that will select the best project.
ENTREPSIM: Startup Simulator
The Entrepreneurship Simulator EntrepSim is an advanced simulator of a startup environment that was developed by academics and investors as a pedagogical tool to be used as a complement to the teaching and practice of entrepreneurship.
The simulation environment is a Tech-based Startup and is already pre-defined. The game will have 5 rounds of decisions and each decision will influence the output. Each team will be playing the same game simultaneously, but the decisions each team consider are individual and will generate different results.
Will you be able to transform the start-up in an unicorn?
Assessment Method
The final grade of each student results from the following components:
- Business Plan (30%)
- EntrepSim (20%)
- Pitch (30%)
- Presence and participation in classes (20%)
The successful completion of the program will also credit you with at least 6 ECTS, depending on your Academic Unit recognition of the discipline as part of the official optional subjects.
2025 EDITION
Application & Selection Process
To be part of Starters Academy, you must fill in the following form.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 30th, 2025
SELECTION PROCESS:
The selection process will take place in two steps (BOTH ARE MANDATORY):
- Individual interviews: From 3 – 7th February – Via ZOOM/Teams
- Group dynamic on the 12th February from 6 pm to 7.30 pm – Rectorate of NOVA University Lisbon
Selected candidates will be informed until the 19th February 2025
BEGINNING: 26th February, 2025
CONTACTS
For more information about the Starters Academy, contact NOVA Impact by email: novaimpact@unl.pt with the reference: StartersAcademy
You can also find us here:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NOVAImpactUNL
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nova_impact_unl/
- Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nova-entrepreneurship-unl/