On June 17, thirty two young innovators from around the world began their entrepreneurial journey at Innovation Summer School. A unique applied entrepreneurship program, Innovation Summer School is run by Unicorn Factory Lisboa and Hudson Lab Ventures to equip students with the skills and processes necessary to collaboratively and creatively solve complex challenges.

The first Innovation Summer School session is hosted at ISEG Lisbon School of Economics and Management. Sponsored by José de Mello and presented by Joana Dias de Cunha, the first innovation challenge is to reimagine education in Portugal, with a focus on addressing inequality and teaching future skills for a rapidly changing world.

Over the first few days, students focused on user journey, problem reframing and solution development using lots of Post-It notes. They also practiced interviewing and hiring prospective startup co-founders with one another.

Serial entrepreneur Miguel Alves Ribeiro from SheerMe inspired students.

Each student pitched their idea and everyone participated in a voting process to select the most promising concepts. Parents can find photos of their student presenting here.

The votes were tallied, and 5 business ideas were chosen for further development. Starting Week 2, the student teams will develop their concepts and pitch to investors and corporate executives from José de Mello and Unicorn Factory, so please stay tuned…

Meanwhile, students have been having a great time enjoying an evening party, playing outdoor games, and competing in a team-building scavenger hunt around Lisbon!

If you are interested in enrolling in Innovation Summer School, there are still spaces open in our following sessions:

Session II (English): July 1-12 in Porto. Challenge sponsored by Sonae
Session III (Portuguese): July 15-26 in Lisbon. Challenge sponsored by Tekever

Please sign up at https://unicornfactorylisboa.com/summer-school-2024

Innovation Summer School: A Dynamic First Week