Incubator Training Sessions

In this session, you will learn about the fundamental building blocks of entrepreneurship and the resources available at the E-Hub (Prof. Purao) and get inspired to start your own entrepreneurial journey (David Mintz, Bentley '92). Teams will get a chance to articulate their own ideas, obtain peer feedback, and take first steps towards refining their ideas for the pitch competition for Phase 1 of the Incubator. Before attending the session, student teams are encouraged to explore fundamentals of entrepreneurship by visiting the "what is entrepreneurship" and "frameworks for entrepreneurship" tiles in the knowledge-base.

In this hands-on training session, Joe Caprio, Bentley '92 will guide student founders through the essentials of building a solid business model, and introduce the structure of the Business Model Canvas. Joe will walk through real-world examples, challenge teams to think critically about value propositions, customer segments, and revenue streams, and offer practical advice on how to refine your startup’s foundation. Teams will get a chance to draft or revise their own business model canvas and receive feedback in real time. Before attending the session, student teams are encouraged to acquire fundamentals of business models and business model canvas by visiting the "exploring business models" and "building your business model canvas" tiles in the knowledge-base.

In this interactive session, Doug Adams will guide students through key leadership concepts essential for startup success. From team dynamics to a founder mindset, this is an important but often overlooked set of concerns that can define success for first time entrepreneurs.  Doug will share stories and strategies that can help founders build a team, communicate effectively, make decisions under pressure, and lead with clarity and empathy. 

In this session, Jim Kelliher, Bentley '81, will walk student teams through the anatomy of a winning pitch deck. He will demystify what investors look for, what to highlight, and how to communicate ideas with clarity and conviction. Teams will learn how to tailor their pitch for different audiences and leave with actionable feedback to improve their decks. Before attending the session, student teams are encouraged to acquire fundamentals of pitch decks and presentations by visiting the "building and presenting a pitch deck" tile in the knowledge-base.

This hands-on session by Cody Clearwater, Bentley '08, will help you dive into the structure and uses of a Business Plan, distinguishing it from a Business Model and a Business Model Canvas. You will learn more about the contents of a Business Plan, how it is used, the importance of building a good business plan - along with examples that you can build on to create the Business Plan for your own venture. Before attending the session, student teams are encouraged to acquire fundamentals of pitch decks and presentations by visiting the "building your business plan" tile in the knowledge-base, and start a conversation with the "Business Plans" consultant within the peer expert consultants initiative.

In this session, you will learn from Jim Burnham, Bentley '80, about how to build reliable financial projections, how to make good assumptions about market size, pricing,  cost of customer acquisition, customer lifetime value and other parameters. You will also hear about simple yet important concepts such as break-even analyses and cash flows; and how to perform "what-if" analyses by varying assumptions. Before attending the session, student teams are encouraged to work with the orbit platform, visit the "building your business plan" tile in the knowledge-base, and start a conversation with the "Financial Projections" consultant within the peer expert consultants initiative.  

A guided visit to CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) including the many possibilities it provides, and the E-Hub Shared Desk at CIC. The visit is intended to inspire student teams to engage with and build connections with the rich entrepreneurial ecosystem within Greater Boston, including the many events that are hosted at CIC. This visit is open to student teams that receive seed funding based on their pitch presentations during Phase 2. These teams will receive more detailed notes for coordination in their inbox. 

In this session, Jim Burnham, Bentley '80, will provide a a primer on the legal foundations that startup ventures need for concerns such as entity formation, IP protection, early-stage agreements, protecting your equity, contracts, and much more. Expect to leave this session with at least one or two specific action items that you can follow up with. Prior to attending this session, student teams are encouraged to examine "legal resources for entrepreneurs" tile in the knowledge-base, where you will also learn about information sessions and office hours by external legal counsel on Bentley campus.  

This session, presented by Debbie Millin, Bentley '92, will share advice, lessons and practical tips about tapping into new market segments, product an service features planning and evolution strategies, scaling operations by ensuring effective supply chain design, building your talent base and workforce - all aimed at setting the stage for your startup to grow sustainably. Student teams are encouraged to examine the "pivoting" tile in the knowledge-base. 

This session, presented by Janak Joshi, Bentley 'xx, will introduce student teams to the landscape of possibilities beyond the E-Hub incubator, including bootstrapping, federal funding to different rounds of fundraising. Expect to hear more about the funding landscape, investor readiness, and practical steps to secure capital while protecting your equity. The session will also suggest pathways for student-led ventures that include additional incubators and accelerators that can provide access to higher funding levels. Students teams are encouraged to carefully access content within the "exploring funding options and pathways" tile in the knowledge-base.