Boasting alumni from ASOS and Marks and Spencer, Stanford returns to London for year two

The aim was to marry “Britain’s rich history of science and innovation with well-known business acumen and Silicon Valley thinking,” according to Bethany Coates, assistant dean for global innovations programmes at Stanford.

Running as a part-time course over a ten-week period, the university is seeking entrepreneurs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The $10,000 programme includes 100 classroom hours and 150 project hours. That said, four applicants deemed “exceptional” will have the chance to receive a 50 per cent scholarship.

With year one under its belt, Stanford had candidates from various sectors such as finance, medicine and law, while some held posts at large firms including ASOS, BP, Bupa, Infosys, and Marks and Spencer.

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The programme doesn’t begin until 23 September, but applications are now open until 2 June 2016. Teaching takes place at Canary Wharf with a mixture of Stanford professors appearing in person and via video link from California.

The goal is to teach key elements of managing business ideas through identification and evaluation. Additionally, with so many varied candidates involved there’s an opportunity to develop relationships with peers and mentors from the UK and Silicon Valley.

“We are excited to build upon last year’s success and continue to work with talented and driven individuals from the UK, a country with exceptional levels of success in the fields of science, technology and innovation,” said Coates.

“The UK has momentum as a global hub of entrepreneurialism, with exciting sectors such as fintech, the sharing economy and cleantech continuing to thrive. It’s a compelling time of progress and change in the UK entrepreneurial space and we are delighted to be a part of it.”

Taking a Silicon Valley view of entrepreneurs, it’s often hard for them to see the traps before it’s too late.

By Zen Terrelonge

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