Build Real Startups
Passion Projects are a way for students to put what they learn in the classroom into practice in the real-world and to tackle real-world problems.
Phase 1 | Team Building & Ideation
Through facilitated discussions, exposure to the world, it’s needs, and time focused on your values and visions, we will help you discern what you are most passionate about addressing and building.
Students who are passionate about solving the same problems will naturally gravitate to each other, but there are other factors to emphasize in team formation as well. We put a high value on the health and productivity of our teams. In a Shark-Tank style pitch, your team will seek the backing of one (or more) of our mentors. Once you have the support, you can move forward with your idea. If you don’t receive backing from a mentor, you head back to the drawing board.
Phase 2 | Product-Market Fit
This stage will largely include making assumptions and testing them out in the marketplace. Your results here will inform your decisions moving forward – you’ll discover whether you can actually make a profit or if it’s time for a pivot.
You will go through an intensive entrepreneurship course that you will apply to your project to discover if there is a market, who are they, and are they ready for you? At the end of this stage, you and your team will present your findings and progress to a panel of mentors for the potential of further investment!
Phase 3 | Enterprise Launching
It’s time to launch your project out into the world! Alongside your mentor, you will dive into marketing, branding, and build a following. This may be a time to build out your team. Do you need an accountant, a lawyer, suppliers, your first employee?
Regardless of the stage you find your team in, the program will conclude with a presentation of your entire process: all the pivots, team roles, lessons learned, and future plans. This is an exciting time to see the fruit of your labor! But it doesn’t end there – you are now in the Global U Network of Kingdom-minded students, alumni, mentors, and investors! This network serves to support all future iterations of Global U projects, future businesses, and wild dreams. We are a tribe – the people who will run with you for the rest of your life.