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 Riley Rodgers, Bentley alum and Partner at Valia Ventures, will guide student teams through the realities of moving from early traction to outside investment. With his experience backing companies through Valia Ventures and mentoring startups across programs such as Techstars, MassChallenge, and MIT Enterprise Forum, Riley will break down what investors look for beyond the pitch deck from team credibility and storytelling to financial and strategic timing. He will share an insider’s view of how venture capital decisions are made, what “investor fit” really means, and how to prepare your venture for the next stage of growth. Student teams are encouraged to review the “Exploring Funding Options & Pathways” section in the knowledge-base before attending.

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.  

In this hands-on training session, Joe Caprio, Bentley '04 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 dynamic session blends live pitch coaching with AI tools. Teams will deliver their pitches and get structured feedback from Jim Kelliher, Bentley '92, as well as AI-generated insights on pacing, clarity, and engagement. The AI tool that student teams will have access to represents an evolving collaboration between the E-Hub and The Foundry at the Harvard Business School. We will add more details of the collaboration here. 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 is the perfect prep before Phase 2!