What we look for

"In a perfect world you build your vision and your customers would run to buy your first product exactly as you spec’d and built it. We now know that this ‘build it and they will come” is a prayer rather than a business strategy. In reality, a startup is a temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. This means the brilliant idea you started with will change as you iterate and pivot your business model until you find product/market fit."

Steve Blank, Lean Launchpad

This quote from Steve Blank, one of the great startup gurus, sums up our approach to helping startups form. This definition of what a startup is and what it does has had a huge influence on what we look for in participants. We want to support people who will thrive in the dynamic environment of a startup and who have the skills to cope with a wide range of situations and problems.

We are looking for exceptional people, but are open-minded about what that looks like. We fully expect to accept candidates with widely varying backgrounds, interests and accomplishments. Some of you will already be successful student entrepreneurs; others will have a completely different track record of excellence. What you will all have in common is extraordinary determination, ingenuity and passion. When we read your application, the question we’ll be constantly asking ourselves is whether we can imagine you running your own business in two years’ time. We have to believe that you really want to be an entrepreneur and that you have the grit to make that vision a reality.

It’s important to understand that throughout the selection process we’ll mainly be assessing you and whether you have what it takes – not any ideas, business plans or existing startups you might have. Of course, if you already have your killer idea, let us know – it can only help your application. It’s completely fine, however, to apply without being certain that you’ve got the final idea you want to pursue during the programme.

To get a better sense of exactly what we’re looking for, read the questions on our application form. They are designed to give you an opportunity to show off the kind of characteristics you will need to succeed, such as:

• Determination
• Track record of achievement
• Ingenuity
• Creativity
• Clarity of thought
• Passion for startups, innovation or technology
• Ability to work in a team

Take a look at our FAQ for more information - and have a read of Steve Blank's thoughts on teams to get a sense of how we think about selection.