Do I need to speak English to attend Mindspace University?
Yes, all of the program’s sessions and workshops will be presented in English and there will be participants from six different Balkan countries. Therefore a good knowledge of English is a prerequisite.
How can I receive general updates concerning Mindspace University and Mindspace’s other program’s?
You are welcome to join our newsletter list.
Also if you have any further inquiries please contact us at info@mindspace.gr
How many members can my team have?
Whether you apply with your team or as an individual (and you acquire your team during the program’s Educational Part A), each team will consist of up to 3 members in total.
What is Mindspace University?
An intensive online series of webinars, virtual classrooms and 1-1 mentoring sessions on the thematic area “Transport & Logistics Digitalisation”, which will take place from October 2021, and will be open to university students and alumni from Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria & Croatia. It will be organised and delivered by entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, mentors from the Greek and Balkan area, together with Mindspace and its Balkan partners. This program consists of 2 Parts, the Educational Part (Part A), and the Entrepreneurial Part (Part B). For more information about the Mindspace University - Balkan Ties Program’s structure, you may check here.
How does Mindspace University differ from other mentoring entrepreneurial programs?
Mindspace University is not just an educational online program about topics related to entrepreneurship. It is a multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to empower university students without prior entrepreneurial experience, venture or start-up ideas to cultivate entrepreneurial skills and get introduced to the business ecosystem, focusing on the challenges and opportunities that different industries face, and not just mere theoretical knowledge. In other words, it is designed to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industry needs, as well as limit the absence of entrepreneurial lessons in university studies. Therefore, the program’s structure and its different stages are adjusted perfectly to each student’s background, needs and interests regarding the entrepreneurial world. Moreover, it creates teams from students with different backgrounds and complementary skills and knowledge, not only inside the borders of Greece, but also in other Balkan countries, as it facilitates peer networking for aspiring student entrepreneurs to meet their co-founders.
Do I need to have an idea to participate in the program?
No, you don’t need to have an idea or a startup to participate in the program, as this is not a prerequisite for applying and getting accepted in the program. In fact, we empower you with the right tools and sessions to generate an idea from scratch, focusing on different sectors of the Transport & Logistics industry, as well as find a team with which you can start your entrepreneurial journey. However, if you do have an idea, we do encourage you to apply as well, so as to test it and improve it during the individualised mentoring sessions - or maybe generate a new one!
Do I need to have a team to participate in the program?
You can apply in the program with your Team or as an Individual. This means that you are welcome to apply to the program as an Individual and we will help you find a Team or match you with other talented peers depending on your skills, interests and future goals to support you in succeeding to this new entrepreneurial endeavour. This is implemented via a series of online team meeting sessions and group networking events during Part A. In case that you already have a team, you can apply with your team as well, including in your application your team’s name and members!
Who can apply to join Mindspace University?
Mindspace University welcomes applications from all university students (including undergraduates, postgraduates, PhD students or recent alumni with less than two years of graduation) regardless of their institution, working or entrepreneurial experience. We accept applications from all over Greece, as well as from selected Balkan countries meaning North Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Albania and Bulgaria. Due to the fact that this program’s focus is on Transport & Logistics, the participants should ideally have relevant studies in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, Physics, Informatics, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Environment and Natural Sciences, yet this is not a hard requirement, in case that the students have additional, solid background to be able to understand the session’s topics. Moreover, students with marketing or business development skills can also be a great match to the program and therefore highly urged to apply as well.
Why should I get involved in Mindspace University?
The best teams that come out of the Mindspace University Final Pitching Event, get the chance to claim free tickets or discounts for the Mindspace Trip to the USA, grant prizes and direct access to the major incubation centers of the Balkan region, such as ACEin and ZICER. Moreover, they come in contact with investors and funds that are interested in early stage teams, so as to pursue and continue successfully their business ideas, after the program’s completion.
Prizes’ aside, all participants enjoy multiple educational and networking opportunities, as they:
Find out about entrepreneurial opportunities in the Transport & Logistics sector
Utilise effectively their skills & knowledge to generate market driven business ideas
Get introduced to entrepreneurial methodologies and mindset
Share their thoughts with business owners who had the same background with them
Get advice and mentoring from successful Greek entrepreneurs in US, Europe and Balkans
Expand their network, meet talented peers and create new partnerships
Get direct feedback by international investors and discuss with startup founders in their field
Do I have to attend all the sessions in the Educational Part (Part A)?
It is not mandatory to attend all sessions during the Educational Part (Part A). However, it is highly recommended that you do watch all of the sessions, as the curriculum is structured in such a way, so as to give you the information and tools that you need to create a successful idea in the Transport and Logistics theme, and in this way claim your seat to the program’s Part B, meaning the 1-1 Mentoring sessions for the best teams that will participate in the Mindspace University Final Pitching event in January.
What does the program’s Entrepreneurial Part (Part B) include?
The 10 best teams that are selected from an independent judging committee at the end of the Educational Part (Part A) will have the unique opportunity of the 1-1 interaction with the program’s top mentors and stellar entrepreneurs from this industry - Entrepreneurial Part (Part B). Together, they will work on the details of their business idea and experiment with several entrepreneurial tools, in order to finalize their business model & prepare their pitch for the Mindspace University Final Pitching event. Each team will be engaged with two mentors for three mentoring sessions and a public speaking and presentation workshop to prepare their pitch for the Mindspace University Final Pitching event. Moreover, the platform that will be used in the program would allow for the mentors and the teams to interact throughout the process, so that instant feedback and suggestions could be provided as well. More details about the exceptional mentors and entrepreneurs who will participate in the Mindspace University program can be found here.
Does it cost anything to join Mindspace University?
No, participating in Mindspace University is completely free for the applicants who will be selected to get a full scholarship to attend the entire program. There are currently 150 available seats for the top applicants from Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria and Croatia to get full access to the program’s sessions with a full scholarship and no fee required on their end. The applicants who won’t be selected to join the program with a full scholarship will still be able to attend the program with the very low price of 70 euros/ per person for access to the full program’s sessions in Education Part A*. There will also be Certificates, given to all program’s participants, after its completion.
*For the Entrepreneurial Part B, the best 10 teams that will be selected from the Educational Part A will attend the Mentoring phase and participate in the Mindspace University Final Pitching event at no cost.
How will I be notified of my application status?
Once we receive your application, we will review it and come back with an email to notify you directly of your application status with feedback and detailed next steps in case that you get accepted. This typically takes up to 15 days at most from your application submission. Kindly keep in mind that there are limited seats available, as we focus on the qualitative results of the program and want to ensure that the participants will get a one life time entrepreneurial educational experience.
Which are the members of the Judging Committees and their criteria in the Mindspace University program?
The Judging Committees are carefully selected individuals from the Balkan business ecosystem with strong experience and solid expertise in the Transport and Logistics sector, including venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, business executives, academics and other successful and knowledgeable business leaders. More details about the Judges' bios will be available soon on Mindspace University general webpage. Judges will be looking at a range of criteria including strength of technology usage, proof of concept (working prototype or service), level of innovation, knowledge of the market, market fit, team’s background, know-how and abilities and company’s growth potentials in the global market. Each judge’s score is weighed equally. The overall selection is based on the viability and likely success of the business. Moreover, the community of participants will also be able to vote and the community’s vote as a whole will be weighed equally as one mentor’s vote.
What about securing Confidentiality & Intellectual property?
Please read thoroughly the “Rules and Terms of Participation” before applying. When you submit your deliverables towards the end of the Educational Part (Part A), as well as during the Entrepreneurial Part (Part B), when the best 10 teams prepare for the Mindspace University Online Pitching event, all people involved (Judges, Mentors, Mindspace staff) who review the relevant materials do not sign non-disclosure agreements. Therefore, you should assume that any information submitted to the competition is not protected, and plan accordingly. This is the same situation as when giving an initial pitch to a VC. VC’s almost never sign NDA’s for the initial pitch. Therefore, you need to craft your materials to present what you can without revealing any information that would compromise your IP protection strategy. Judges and Mentors are experienced entrepreneurs and VCs who understand the confidential nature of the information presented to them.
