ERUA Venturethon
Venturethon: Validate Your Startup Idea and Business Model in 3 Days
Turn your ideas into real ventures at the ERUA Venturethon!
Innovate with us at the ERUA Venturethon — an intensive 3-day journey where students transform ideas into validated business models. Over three dynamic days, you will test assumptions, validate real problems, explore customer needs, and build evidence-based solutions using proven entrepreneurship tools, rapid experimentation methods, and hands-on mentorship.
Join an international ERUA community of students and early-stage innovators tackling meaningful challenges and turning ideas into investment-ready, scalable ventures.
For Students & First-Time Founders
Why Join Venturethon?
Learn by Doing
Gain real-world entrepreneurial skills through hands-on startup building.
Validate Your Business Model
Hands-on experience in entrepreneurship — apply proven frameworks, models, and tools to real ventures.
Join a Global Community
Work with peers worldwide, collaborate with mentors, and connect with investors and corporates.
Boost Your Career
Earn certificates that strengthen your CV and stand out in the job market.
Get Noticed & Supported
Top teams can join Venturethon Venture Studio or our partners (incubators, accelerators, venture studios).
Win & Scale
Unlock pathways to funding, incubation, and international exposure.
Grow Personally
Build confidence, teamwork, and entrepreneurial resilience while pitching your vision globally.
Join Venturethon and compete with the best minds worldwide — build ventures that scale!
Who can participate?
For Students
Fluent in English
Open to bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD students from any discipline
Curious about entrepreneurship and eager to apply classroom knowledge in practice
Ready to gain hands-on experience, certifications, and global exposure
Turn your ideas into real ventures and boost your career prospects
For First-time Founders
Fluent in English
Early-stage entrepreneurs with an idea, concept, or first prototype
Looking for proven frameworks to validate and refine their business model
Ready to connect with mentors, investors, and venture studios
Eager to scale beyond local markets and compete globally
Validate, grow, and position your startup for real traction and investment
How Venturethon Works
Venturethon is designed as a step-by-step sprint that takes you from idea to a validated business model, with global visibility and real opportunities for growth
Goal: Show early traction and validate the business model.
Activities
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Onboarding session (introduction to Venturethon, rules, tools).
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Team formation & role assignment.
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Workshop on business models & revenue streams.
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Focus on traction metrics: customer acquisition, willingness to pay, conversion signals.
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Mentors provide investor-style feedback.
Speaker
Dr. Arturas Jurgelevicius is a venture builder and researcher specializing in entrepreneurship, startup creation, and innovative venture development. He designs innovation-driven learning models such as Venturethon.io, focusing on accelerating startup validation through experiential and challenge-based education.
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Evidence of traction (sign-ups, pilot users, pre-orders).
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Validated business model (or pivot documented).
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Draft pitch deck with data.
Deliverables
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Goal: Define the problem clearly and form strong teams
Activities
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Workshops on problem framing, customer pain points, and value proposition.
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Mentor check-ins to refine initial problem statements.
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Team charter
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Problem statement + hypothesis
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Draft value proposition canvas
Deliverables
Speaker
Product Leader with 10+ years in tech and 5+ years in product management, building scalable SaaS and marketplace solutions through data-driven strategy, fast experimentation, and cross-functional leadership. Currently leading product at SEAL Group, driving product–market fit, growth, and alignment between user value and business goals.
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Goal: Test assumptions about the problem and target customers
Activities
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Conduct customer interviews (online/offline).
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Workshop on market research & segmentation.
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Build and test customer personas.
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Mentor feedback on findings.
Speaker
Rupali Bansal is a UX researcher and design professional who combines user-centered thinking with data-driven insights. She applies lean experimentation methods to uncover user needs, validate ideas, and shape meaningful product experiences. Passionate about bridging design, research, and strategy, she helps teams build products that truly work for people.
Deliverables
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Minimum 10–20 customer interviews.
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Defined customer persona(s).
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Evidence of validated/unvalidated assumptions.
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Goal: Create a minimum viable experiment to test the solution’s appeal
Activities
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Workshop on Lean Startup & MVP types (landing pages, clickable prototypes, explainer videos, pre-orders).
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Teams build simple MVPs using no-code tools.
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Run quick validation tests (ads, surveys, sign-ups).
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Mid-week pitch rehearsal with mentors.
Speaker
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Hostinger Horizons is your all-in-one AI partner - designer, developer, and copywriter which helps you build powerful websites and web apps without writing a single line of cod
Deliverables
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MVP (basic version).
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Metrics from early tests (clicks, sign-ups, feedback).
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Updated venturethon canvas.
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Goal: Present validated business models to judges, investors, and partners.
Activities
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Pitch training (storytelling, slides, Q&A).
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Teams finalize pitch deck.
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Demo Day → pitch to jury of investors, corporates, and educators.
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Winners announced + prizes + certification ceremony.
Speaker
Kirill Voloshin is a seasoned executive and startup mentor with over 20 years of experience in business development, product management, and strategy. He excels at guiding early-stage ventures, coaching Founders, and driving growth through actionable insights and cross-functional leadership.
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Final pitch deck.
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Demo Day presentation.
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Certification of participation for all students.
Deliverables
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Venturethon Evaluation Criteria
All participating teams will be evaluated by mentors, jury members, and partners using the following criteria. The goal is not just to reward the best ideas, but to highlight teams that demonstrate real validation, growth potential, and entrepreneurial mindset.
Problem Validation
20%
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Clear definition of the problem or need.
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Evidence of customer discovery (interviews, surveys, feedback).
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Relevance and urgency of the problem for the target audience.
Business Model Validation
30%
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Clarity and feasibility of the business model (using Venturethon Business Model Validation Canvas).
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Evidence of traction: early sales, pilot users, partnerships, sign-ups or traction in social media
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Growth potential: scalability, repeatability, market size fit.
Innovation & Differentiation
20%
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Novelty of the solution or approach.
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Differentiation from existing competitors.
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Use of creative or unique strategies for growth and traction.
Pitch & Communication
30%
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Clear story & value prop: concise narrative (problem → solution → value) with positioning your audience “gets” in one line.
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Evidence-first: show real validation/traction (interviews, pilots, sign-ups, CAC/revenue) and make a specific, relevant ask.
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Professional delivery: clean slides/demo, on time, confident Q&A with data-backed answers.
Online Workshops & Webinars
Throughout Venturethon, participants will gain access to exclusive online workshops and webinars led by experts in entrepreneurship, innovation, and venture building. These sessions are designed to guide you step by step — from validating your business model to preparing for your global pitch.
Meet Our Amazing Venture Coaches
Get inspired and learn directly from seasoned entrepreneurs, venture studio leaders, investors, and startup mentors who bring real-world experience into every session. They will share proven frameworks, practical tools, and hands-on insights to help you succeed.
Our venture coaches are here not just to teach, but to empower you to build, validate, and scale your venture
Business Model Validation
Experimentation Design
Lean Startup
Fundraising
Product Development
Hypotheses Validations
Product Analytics
Meet Jury
Venturethon Prizes & Awards
Venturethon is more than just a competition — it’s a launchpad for future founders. Alongside global recognition, participants have the chance to win exclusive opportunities that take their ventures to the next level
Best Validated Business Model Award
For the team with the strongest evidence of traction, growth, and market fit
Global Impact Award
For the venture with the highest potential to create positive change at scale
Most Scalable Idea Award
For the team showing clear pathways for growth and expansion
People’s Choice Award
Voted by the global audience — the most inspiring pitch
Certificates of Excellence
For the team with the strongest evidence of traction, growth, and market fit
Exclusive Internship or Traineeship Offers
from corporate partners
Scholarships
for entrepreneurship summer/winter schools or online courses
Venture Studio Integration
Top teams may be incorporated into the Venturethon Venture Studio
Fast-Track to Incubators & Accelerators
through partner programs
Investor Introductions & Pitch Opportunities
with angels and VCs
In-kind Support
Legal, financial, and marketing consulting for incorporation and scaling
Cash prizes or grants (depending on sponsor partnerships).
Software credits and tools for startups (AWS, Notion, HubSpot, etc.).
Media coverage and spotlight in global entrepreneurship networks
Every participant walks away with valuable experience, a global certificate, and stronger entrepreneurial skills — but for the top teams, Venturethon is just the beginning of their startup journey.