Would you like to spend two weeks in California when Finland’s at its darkest and coldest, and learn entrepreneurship in the process? Now’s your chance! AVP is offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students to join the next Aurora trip to the USA. The trip includes an ecosystem tour of the San Francisco Bay Area and the week-long, intensive Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship (BMoE) Bootcamp at UC Berkeley — all on us! The study trip takes place on January 6–19, 2024, traveling time included.
The 2-day entrepreneurship ecosystem tour around the San Francisco Bay Area is a great way to get to know the local companies, and it’s organized by none other than you yourselves — with our help, of course. By participating in contacting the companies and arranging the visits, you can heavily influence the firms we visit based on your interests.
A part of the trip, the BMoE bootcamp at UC Berkeley offers a unique experience in one of the most well-known institutions in California. During the program, students will attend sessions that combine lectures and interactive game-based exercises, get one-on-one mentoring from faculty and industry experts, and learn in a collaborative environment.
The bootcamp uses the latest approaches for training global technology entrepreneurs. The method combines strategy, tactics, culture, and psychology with an entrepreneurial infrastructure. Additionally, the program is structured to provide an optimal global entrepreneurship experience. The workshop is quite intensive, so expect long days.
This trip is a part of our new Aurora Network, where we send Aalto students to entrepreneurial hubs all over the world to gather international experience and then bring them together to share those experiences with each other. Our previous trips have taken place in Zambia and the US, and we already have a strong alumni community that’s looking forward to welcoming you as a part of it.
At the bootcamp, you will:
- Work on idea generation and how to turn ideas into new ventures
- Use case studies to facilitate and hone ideas, attend special modules on ideation, sales, pitch, and funding
- Collaborate with UC Berkeley experts and advance your idea to the next level
- Pitch your idea to an experienced panel of experts and potential investors
- You’ll work on a startup idea decided together in your team — you’re welcome to suggest your own idea too
Sounds good, right? To make it even better, we want to make sure there are as few obstacles to joining as possible. That’s why we’ll cover the costs of flights, airport transfer at destination, visas, basic travel insurance, and accommodation fees. However, you will have to pay for any personal insurance, your own meals, local transportation and other such expenses. We’re not made of money, after all.
Eligibility for Aurora California
As much as we’d like to have all of you on the plane to California, the seats are limited. If you fit the following criteria, we’re looking forward to seeing your application:
- You are a full-time degree student at Aalto University (exchange or minor students are not eligible)
- You have taken AVP courses or have AVP courses in your planned studies
Application process
We tried to make applying as easy as possible, so there are just three phases:
- Apply via this form by the end of Friday, October 6: https://forms.office.com/e/katy00Yh96
- Interviews with AVP between October 12–19.
- Results & practicalities
Your motivation will weigh more than your grades, but we will have a look at the grades too!
Concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with My:
My Nguyen
Global Partnerships Coordinator
my.2.nguyen@aalto.fi
+358 504 685 845
