The University of Glasgow is running its Summer Startup Programme throughout June, July and August to help students, graduates and early-stage founders turn business ideas into viable ventures.
The program is delivered by the University’s Student & Graduate Enterprise team and combines practical workshops, specialist advice and networking opportunities.
This year’s program received 87 registrations, with women accounting for 55% of participants.
Seven participants are from Glasgow Caledonian University through the Innovation3 Exchange partnership between the two institutions.
The initiative is designed to support entrepreneurs at different stages, including those still exploring an initial idea and those already working toward a launch.
Sessions cover business model development, customer validation, financing, intellectual property, sales, and other areas involved in building a company.
The program includes workshops focused on the Business Model Canvas, Lean Startup methods, market research, fundraising, legal structures, AI for business, pitching, product design, brand development, and networking.
Participants also receive guidance from business consultants, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals.
The Business Model Canvas sessions help founders identify important components of a venture, including customers, revenue sources, costs, partners, and the value a product or service offers.
Lean Startup workshops focus on testing assumptions early and using customer feedback to refine an idea before committing substantial resources.
Market research sessions help participants evaluate demand, identify potential competitors, and better understand their intended customers.
The fundraising component addresses how founders can prepare for discussions with investors and other financing providers.
Legal and intellectual property guidance can help entrepreneurs understand company formation, contracts, ownership rights, and protections for inventions, brands, and creative work.
The program also includes AI-focused training to help participants understand how AI tools can support business development and operations.
Pitching and brand-building sessions are designed to help founders explain their ideas clearly and establish a recognizable position in the market.
The Summer Startup Programme forms part of the University of Glasgow’s wider Student and Graduate Enterprise service.
The service provides one-to-one advice, workshops, mentoring, funding opportunities, legal and intellectual property guidance, networking and access to incubator space.
In recent years, the University has supported hundreds of student- and graduate-led ventures across technology, healthcare, artificial intelligence, sustainability, social enterprise, creative industries and digital business.
The participation of Glasgow Caledonian University students is supported through the Innovation3 Exchange.
The Scottish Funding Council-backed partnership provides shared support, financing and development opportunities for student, graduate and staff entrepreneurs.
By bringing participants from both universities together, the program can create additional opportunities for founders to exchange ideas, build teams and form connections outside their own institutions.
The initiative also provides an alternative form of learning during the summer period, when many traditional academic activities have concluded.
Participants can use campus lecture halls and teaching spaces to test ideas, develop commercial skills, and work alongside other aspiring entrepreneurs.
The University believes these capabilities can remain valuable even for participants who do not immediately launch a business.
Skills involving problem-solving, customer discovery, communication, financial planning, and collaboration can support careers across startups, established companies, and public-sector organizations.
The program is intended to create an environment where participants can move from an early concept toward a more structured business opportunity with support from experienced advisers.
KEY QUOTES:
“People often imagine that university campuses fall silent once graduation season ends, but the reality is quite different. Throughout the summer, our lecture rooms become spaces where ideas are challenged, refined and transformed into real business opportunities. The Summer Startup Programme gives students and graduates practical skills, access to expert guidance and the confidence to take their first steps as entrepreneurs. It is inspiring to see so much creativity and ambition on campus during the summer months.”
Marion Anderson, Student & Graduate Enterprise Manager at the University of Glasgow
“The Summer Student Enterprise Programme equips students with the entrepreneurial mindset and commercial skills that enable them to create value wherever their careers take them. By bringing together students, graduates, business leaders and sector specialists, we are creating an environment where new ventures can emerge and thrive.”
Michael King, Executive Director for Enterprise and Economic Development at the University of Glasgow
