Entrepreneurship among students is on the rise and more and more ambitious student entrepreneurs are discovering that successfully combining their studies and running a business can be challenging. If you want to take on the challenge, the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship and the Erasmus University Rotterdam can offer you personal guidance and help you maximise your business alongside your studies.
What is the Talented Student Entrepreneur Programme?
Similar to support programmes for students who are competitive athletes, the Talented Student Entrepreneur Programme assist high-potential student entrepreneurs from Erasmus University in combining their studies with running their businesses.
In this programme, participants have a personal study advisor to address aligning study duties and business obligations such as meeting investors or customers. The programme allows participants to organise their studies more flexibly according to their business needs, e.g. in terms of time schedules and class participation. This combination of educational and entrepreneurial support can help produce successful alumni that are also strong entrepreneurs.
The programme provides student entrepreneurs with:
- A personal study advisor to provide support in achieving educational objectives, for example (reasonable) flexibility in attendance requirements;
- A personal business mentor to provide support in achieving business growth;
- Access to a network full of student entrepreneurs;
- Access to a network of investors, experienced entrepreneurs and experts;
- Erasmus Business Membership, with access to a dedicated flex workspace;
- Pre-eminence in the selection procedure for Erasmus Incubation Programme;
Application Process
A strict admission process guarantees that only high-potential student entrepreneurs are selected into the programme. See the steps below that need to be followed before you can be admitted the Talented Student Entrepreneur status.
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Apply here for a first screening of your situation. We will evaluate whether the stage of your entrepreneurial journey is appropriate to join the programme.
If necessary, we will connect you to your dedicated study advisor to explain the hours involved in your entrepreneurial activities, in relation to your study.
Receive an invitation to pitch your business plan at the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship Campus.
Pitch your business in front of an acknowledged jury, followed by a Q&A session to evaluate how we can provide you support based on your unique situation.
Admission to the Talented Student Entrepreneur Programme.
What former participants say
In 2012, we launched the Talented Student Entrepreneur Programme in partnership with the Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam School of Management and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. As the first university where you can combine your studies with your own company, we’ve supported high-potential student entrepreneurs in successfully completing their studies and being a strong entrepreneur. Want to know how they experienced the programme, read the quotes of former participants below.
Former participants: Melvin & Jasper
Founders of Seepje
“As an entrepreneur, you of course have to put in serious commitment to ensure the success of your company. But as a student entrepreneur, you have to combine this with the pressure of passing exams. The privileges and flexibility you can get with the Talented Student Entrepreneur Programme helped us manage running our startup successfully alongside our study.”
Dedicated study advisors
Roos Erkel
Study Advisor (ESL) erkel@law.eur.nlQuestions?
Is your faculty not mentioned above but you think you’re still eligible to apply? Curious to learn more about the Talented Student Entrepreneur Programme?
Feel free to get in touch with our Startup Programmes team!
E: getstarted@ece.nl
T: 010-740 23 33
Katty Hsu
Researcher and Startup FacilitatorIn collaboration with:
