workshops
Do you have a business idea but aren’t sure how to get started? Do you want to learn about entrepreneurship? Are you interested in applying to Startup BASE Camp, Entrepreneurship@DU’s summer accelerator? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should participate in the Entrepreneurship@DU workshop series.
The goal for these workshops is to have fun, meet people, and learn about entrepreneurship and innovation in a laid-back environment that encourages collaboration and creativity. It’s also an opportunity to develop your business idea.
Workshops are free, are available to every University of Denver student, and don’t require any prior business experience. The workshops are focused on providing the tools entrepreneurs and innovators need to develop their business ideas.
About the workshops
- Workshops are 2 hours long.
- They’re capped at 15 students.
- Each workshop is taught by an industry and/or faculty expert.
- Pizza and drinks are provided.
- Registration is required because space is limited.
- We encourage you to attend all workshops, but it isn’t required.
What you should bring
- A laptop
- Curiosity
- Energy
2023 topics
- Design Thinking and Ideation (John Sebesta)—February 2
- Who Is Your Customer (Allie Lawn)—January 31
- Business Model Canvas (Neil Pollard)—February 13
- Customer Validation (Allie Lawn)—February 28
- Pitch and Build a Deck (Joshua Ross)—April 5
- Cost and Revenue (Dan Cohen)—April 19
- Startup Marketing 101 (Chennelle Diong)—May 9
Workshop Details

How To Pitch Your Idea Workshop
Date: Wednesday, April 5
Time: 5:30 – 7:30pm
Location: The Garage
Description:
Translating your idea into an effective pitch is critical if you want convince people to invest in your idea. This process may be daunting and intimidating, but it is also incredibly rewarding once you find the right mix that effectively combines message, style, cadence and delivery.
This workshop will use a very hands-on approach to help you craft a clear and concise pitch that will engage your audience. You’ll focus on crafting an effective pitch that clearly articulates the opportunity, why it matters, the value of your solution and who it benefits.

Customer Validation Workshop
Date: Wednesday, April 19
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Garage
Description:
Lots of people have great business ideas but get stuck when it’s time to make a budget. This workshop will get you unstuck.
In this workshop you will learn the basics, including the few most important parts of a budget and the story a budget tells. Students have noted they gain confidence from this short session and leave feeling empowered to think constructively about their revenues and expenses and to feel good about the estimates in their spreadsheets.

Startup Marketing 101 Workshop
Industry Expert: Chennelle Diong
Date: Tuesday, May 9
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Garage
> Register here
Description:
The marketing strategy for your startup is an essential piece to the success of your startup. Without it, you don’t have a business. You have a hobby. The question you need to answer is: How am I going promote my business with little to no budget and zero brand awareness?