DO!, the centre for entrepreneurship at Ghent University, yearly launches Expedition DO!, a unique 7 month startup programme for entrepreneurial talent.

The mission of the expedition is to support and stimulate Ghent University students and researchers to develop critical entrepreneurial skills to start, build and grow their business idea into a successful startup.

On top of that, the expedition rewards the 3 winning teams with prizes worth € 2.000 each to further boost their business.

Thanks to the help of an extensive network of experts and existing industry accelerator programmes early ideas will be developed into scalable business models. The partners of Expedition DO! will be part of our experts network, inspirational talks and/or jury team throughout the track.

Expedition DO! also prepares its participants for accelerator and incubator programmes outside of the university.

The expedition consists of 4 chapters:

Chapter 1: 18 March– 5 July (16 teams)

This chapter is all about validating your idea. We start with a jam-packed bootcamp weekend to kickstart your business. We continue with intensive coaching sessions, inspirational talks, networking opportunities and help you find the best route to get started. The chapter ends with a summer pitch in which you present your progress. Only the teams that prove themselves in this chapter continue the expedition.

Chapter 2: 5 July – 19 September

In this chapter we focus on developing your business concept and preparing your actual startup. We continue with intensive coaching, but you also get access to the online Startup Masterclass and additional thematic content. This will help you define the right business model, find a way to finance your idea and to bring it to the market. We end with another uplifting bootcamp weekend in which all teams will present their progress. Based on these pitches, we select the 8 finalist teams that receive a spot on stage during Expedition DO!’s live closing event, ‘Final Destination Pitch Night’.

Chapter 3: 19 September – 6 October (8 teams)

We focus on pitching and help you create your ultimate presentation to boost your chances of becoming one of the 3 winning teams during ‘Final Destination Pitch Night’. Prepare for lots of pitching, coaching, feedback and on stage rehearsals.

Chapter 4: November (3 teams)

The 3 winning teams head to Slush - one of the biggest startup events in the world - for an inspiring, unforgettable and invaluable entrepreneurial experience. Additionally, 1 research team will be invited for the intake meeting to enter TechTranser's Venture Track. For more information see 'Prizes' below.

During the closing event on 6 October 4 teams win amazing prizes to further boost their business.

3 teams win tickets to Slush2021 in Helsinki. If Slush cannot take place, another prize – worth 2.000 euros – will be awarded. TechTransferoffers an extra 2.000 euros to 1 of the winning research teams working on their research topic. Additionally, this winning team will be invited for the intake meeting to enter TechTranser's Venture Track.

A 4th team wins the Audience Award and receives a Bryo track offered by Voka.

Any (team of) student(s) / researcher(s) at Ghent University that:

• want(s) to validate an innovative idea and verify whether it is, or could be, market-ready
• want(s) to explore the bigger potential of an existing business and scale it up

At least 1 team member should be a Ghent University student (with a minimum of 27 credits) or researcher. If you are graduating this academic year, you are still eligible to apply and partake in Expedition DO!

Teams can enroll up to 3 active members in the programme. If you are part of a large team (with more than 3 team members), the remaining team members are restricted to joining online sessions and the online content on Ufora only. They cannot participate in offline activities and don't receive a welcome box. If selected for Expedition DO!, it is expected that all active team members take part in the entire Expedition DO! programme. At least 1 active team member needs to be present during each Expedition DO! activity.

• There is a subscription fee of € 100 per active team member for the entire programme. This fee includes all sessions/events, weekends, a welcome box with amongst others 1 Expedition DO! Hoodie, expert advice / mentoring / coaching / keynote sessions, coworking facilities and course materials. If you have any questions about this, don't hesitate to contact us.

• For researchers participating in Expedition DO! until the Finalist Pre-selection Bootcamp, extra credits via Doctoral Schools may be obtained. More details will be given at the start of the expedition. In this case the general regulations of Doctoral Schools will apply.

Questions about Expedition DO? Contact us or join our live Question Hour in Discord on 15 February from 4 till 6 PM.

Ghent University student or researcher but not part of our (Discord) community yet? Let us know!

The timing of the 2021 track will be as follows (individual monthly coaching sessions still to be added):

• 27 January: opening of the applications
• 28 February: closing of the applications
• 9-10 March: Selection Pitches
• 18 March: Welcoming Event
• 26-28 March: Kickoff Bootcamp
• 01 April, 22 April, 29 April & 06 May: Inspirational Talks
• 05 July: Summer Pitch
  
• 02 September: Progress Presentation
• 18-19 September: Finalist Pre-selection Bootcamp
• 06 October: Final Destination Pitch Night
  

At least 1 active team member needs to be present during each event.
Consider the intensive Expedition DO! schedule a small step for you but a huge leap forward for your startup.

Please be aware that this timing is subject to change.

The application process requires 2 obligatory steps: a Concept Subscription and an Individual Subscription.

Concept Subscription

Subscribe your idea or business here (a maximum of 16 concepts will be selected).

and

Individual Subscription

Each team member or individual needs to complete an individual subscription as well (only the 3 active team members per idea or business can submit this form).

So for example:

• 1 man team: fill in the Concept Subscription as well as the Individual Subscription.
• 3 man team: team member 1 fills in the Concept Subscription and his own Individual Subscription. Team member 2 and 3 fill in their own Individual Subscription.

• 6 man team: team member 1 fills in the Concept Subscription and his own Individual Subscription. Team member 2 and 3 fill in their own Individual Subscription. These 3 are the active team members to participate in the programme. The non-active 3 team members can gain access to the online content and online activities with their active team members.

Part of the Individual Subscription is your Hunchup Test score. This test takes about 46 minutes to complete. It is possible to take the test at an earlier time than your subscription for Expedition DO!

If selected for Expedition DO!, it is expected that all team members who filled in the Individual Subscription take active part in the entire Expedition DO! programme.

Subscriptions are open from 27 January until 28 February 2021 at Midnight.

A selection of teams will be invited to pitch their idea in front of an online jury on 9 or 10 March.
On 4 March at the latest you will receive notification whether or not your team is selected to this pitch round and if so, what the practical details are.

Based on your application and the pitch, we will make the final selection of 16 teams to start Expedition DO! 2021.

Please block the necessary dates (see the timing above).

The final selection of the teams joining Expedition DO! 2021 will be announced by the middle of March.