Innovation Bootcamp Information

Click here to apply for UGA’s Spring 2025 Innovation Bootcamp for women entrepreneurs and UGA researchers who want to launch a startup company.

Are you interested in learning how to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship as a female founder? Let UGA’s Innovation Gateway help with our Innovation Bootcamp program! Thanks to our sponsor, Truist, this bootcamp is a free opportunity for community members to learn leadership and basic business skills for beginning entrepreneurs. Participants of Innovation Bootcamp will be immersed in engaging educational sessions and workshops, hear from successful business owners, greatly expand their network in this space, and learn what it takes to build a sustainable business model.

The bootcamp will meet on Mondays starting February 3 and ending March 17. Sessions will be held at the Delta Innovation Hub on UGA’s North Campus and will run from 4pm-7pm.

Our curriculum topics include:

• Self-awareness and building a solid foundation
• Effective branding and marketing workshops
• Business basics workshops
• Addressing women-specific challenges in entrepreneurship
• Customer Discovery
• Effective pitching
• Funding sources
• Intellectual property

We are excited about the impact our Innovation Bootcamp is having for community members both on and off campus! See what some of the recent graduates of the program are saying about the experience:

• “Innovation Bootcamp is the first cohort I’ve participated in as a new business owner. I can’t say enough about this program. If you do the work, your business will have a firm foundation for success. The resources provided and the connections you make with classmates and mentors is so invaluable. If you are new to entrepreneurship or you are considering entrepreneurship, this Bootcamp is what you need. Apply now! It was definitely worth the drive every week from Atlanta.” ~Monique Carter, The Carter Group
• “The UGA Innovation Bootcamp was an invaluable experience. It challenged me and gave me a chance to explore my strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur in a safe environment. Every week, I was inspired by the amazing coaches, guest speakers, local restaurant owners who provided us with food, as well as my fellow Innovation Bootcamp entrepreneurs with their amazing businesses and ideas. I recommend the UGA Innovation Bootcamp to any entrepreneur seeking a deeper understanding of business and a challenge to see if you are on the right path to your entrepreneurial journey.” ~Wesley Chenoweth, Grizzly Rides
• “Unlike other bootcamps, accelerators, and innovation hubs, the Innovation Bootcamp at UGA has a double bottom line: business idea AND the entrepreneur. Growth is focused on both ends to develop the idea and the person. This way, they not only empower and scale innovative businesses, but they also grow good leaders who can transform communities and the world. We need more of that.” ~Nipuna Ambanpola, IVolunteer International Inc.

How to Apply: Over the course of seven sessions, the cohort will meet weekly to learn firsthand the basics of building a successful business from the bottom up and will also receive one-on-one support from experienced coaches, many of whom are successful entrepreneurs. This program is open to all UGA faculty, graduate students, and Athens-Clarke and surrounding county community members who want to explore the idea of opening a business or commercializing a product. Individuals wanting to participate should complete an application by December 2. Please review the Innovation Bootcamp curriculum here prior to applying for this program. Applications to participate in the fall Innovation Bootcamp program can be accessed here.

Please share this information freely to those in your professional and personal networks who may benefit or may be able to help us target interested candidates to participate in this unique experience. Let me know if there are questions!