Entrepreneurship bootcamp helps MBA students start up

Almost 60 MBA students from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) explored entrepreneurship during an intensive, one-day workshop organised in co-operation with the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE) on Saturday 2 April 2016. In teams, the participants developed their start-up ideas into viable and credible start-up propositions, and learned entrepreneurial skills that will be vital for them to start their own company.

The MBA participants of the RSM Start-up Bootcamp, which took place on the ECE Campus in the Rotterdam Science Tower, explored opportunity evaluation and refinement, business modelling, customer development, and assumption identification and testing.

Developing new business ideas

“The bootcamp was very useful. We were provided with the tools and step-by-step guidelines to follow to establish our start-up,” said MBA student Hala Abu-Jaber from Jordan, adding that she thought the method of teaching was effective and based on both theory and practice.

The RSM Start-up Bootcamp was a combination of interactive and dynamic formats, such as mini-lectures, team presentations, break-out workshop sessions, and an energetic pitch training and competition. “I learned to always think about what gains I’m giving the customer and what pains I’m relieving,” said Abu-Jaber, adding that she also discovered that ‘a customer’ and ‘a user’ are not always the same.

Taking ideas further

The three- or four-member teams from RSM’s International Full-time MBA Class of 2017 generated new business ideas and developed them into credible and viable new business propositions. The learning goals focused on four specific domains: content, analytical skills, social-communicative skills, and attitude.

Indian MBA student Neeti Ghildiyal said her team is willing to take her idea further. “The bootcamp was such a great experience,” she said. “I learned that the execution of the entrepreneurial process is what matters. You can have the world's best idea but if you can't execute it right, you can't grow.”

Entrepreneurial opportunities

American MBA student Michael Magdongon also joined the RSM Start-up Bootcamp to learn how to start a business with a structured approach, and to explore the entrepreneurial opportunities that are available to RSM students. “It was really useful in enabling further develop my ideas,” he said. “Starting a business is a scary and uncertain endeavour. The ECE bootcamp helped put some fears at ease and gave myself, as well as others, more confidence to start a business.”

The bootcamp was organised by the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE) in association with RSM’s Venture Capital & Entrepreneurship Club.

More information

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. Our first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes encourage them to become critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinkers and doers. www.rsm.nl

For more information about RSM or this release, please contact Erika Harriford-McLaren, communications manager for RSM, on +31 10 408 2877 or by email at harriford@rsm.nl.