The University of Antwerp is delighted to be hosting the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) Accelerator Programme from 7-9 March 2023. This intensive training programme for selected high-potential start-ups, as part of the Inno4YUFE project, is funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) HEI Initiative: Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education. This innovative Accelerator Programme will welcome student start-ups and spin-offs from the YUFE partner institutions, giving the budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to collaborate and share best practice while challenging business assumptions and encouraging reflective practice.

Programme
Over the three days, an international team of expert coaches will guide participants through a series of workshops that will equip them with the tools to boost their businesses and enhance their success. Workshops will focus on key topics, such as understanding the customer journey, adopting tools to assess their business model, and preparing the perfect pitch.

Start-up teams linked to different YUFE-universities will come together and receive coaching from experts in entrepreneurship from Maastricht University (Netherlands), University of Essex (UK), Nicolas Copernicus University (Poland), University of Antwerp, and the Voka Antwerp-Waasland Chamber of Commerce (Belgium).

Speakers
University of Antwerp alumni Michiel Valee, Co-founder Dockflow, and Bart Geraerts, Founding Partner IPEE, will provide business testimonials to inspire and encourage participates on their own journeys. The programme will culminate with a keynote from author and entrepreneur Jürgen Ingels, Founder and CFO of Clear2Pay and author of Start, Grow, Sell.

Barbara Tan, from the University of Antwerp, said “We are looking forward to welcoming 11 selected start-up teams from across Europe to Antwerp and facilitating this exciting opportunity to collaborate with peers, academics, and industry professionals from different European countries. We aim to harness their personal entrepreneurial ambitions and contribute to the expansion of the community of European innovators.”