Chapter 1: March– July (20 teams)

This chapter is all about validating your idea. We start with a jam-packed bootcamp weekend to kickstart your business. We continue with intensive coaching sessions, workshops, networking opportunities and help you find the best route to get started. The chapter ends with a summer pitch in which you present your progress. The teams that convince the jury at this event, receive protyping funding and can continue the expedition.

Chapter 2: July – September

In this chapter we focus on developing your business concept and preparing your actual startup. We continue with intensive coaching and you also get access to thematic online content. This will help you define the right business model, find a way to finance your idea and to bring it to the market. We end with another uplifting bootcamp weekend in which all teams will present their progress. Based on these pitches, we select the 8 finalist teams.  They receive a spot on stage during Expedition DO!’s live closing event, ‘Final Destination Pitch Night’ and receive 500 euros to boost their businesses.

Chapter 3: September – October (8 teams)

We focus on pitching and help you create your ultimate presentation. For both the students and researchers track a winner is elected at the closing event of the expedition. The 2 winning teams will receive 5.000 euros of starting capital.
Prepare for lots of pitching, coaching, feedback and on stage rehearsals.

Throughout the track participating teams can collect a nice sum of prize money. Each participating team that makes it to chapter 2 in July, receives a prototyping budget of 250 euros. The 8 finalist teams that are selected for chapter 3 in September, can add 500 euros to the sum. The cherry on top is the prize money of 5.000 euros that is awarded to the winner of both the student and researcher track at the closing event on 3 October. 

This brings the total prize money to: 

• 250 euros for each team that participates in the expedition until chapter 2
• 750 euros for each team that participates in the expedition until chapter 3
• 5.750 euros for both winners of Expedition DO! 2023

Any (team of) student(s) / researcher(s) that:

• want(s) to validate an innovative idea and verify whether it is, or could be, market-ready
• want(s) to explore the bigger potential of an existing business and scale it up

At least 1 team member should be a Ghent University, Artevelde University of Applied Sciences or HOGENT student (with a minimum of 27 credits – exceptions excluded) or researcher. If you are graduating / finishing your research later on during this academic year, you are still eligible to apply and partake in Expedition DO!

Teams can enroll up to 3 active team members in the programme. If you are part of a large team (with more than 3 team members), the remaining team members are restricted to joining online sessions and the online content on Ufora only. They cannot participate in offline activities. If selected for Expedition DO!, it is expected that all active team members take part in the entire Expedition DO! programme. At least 1 active team member needs to be present during each Expedition DO! activity.

Participants can apply for 2 tracks: 

• a student track
• a research track (including PhDs, postdocs, research and academic staff)

If a team consists of students as well as researchers, the category is determined based on the nature of the business idea. 

During the closing event, one winner is selected for each track. Both winners receive a starting capital of 5.000 euros. 

• Teams that are selected for the programme, pay a subscription fee of € 100 per active team member for the entire programme. This fee includes all activities / weekends, 1 Expedition DO! Hoodie, expert advice / mentoring / coaching / keynote sessions, coworking facilities until chapter 1 and course materials. If you have any questions about this, don’t hesitate to contact us.

• For researchers participating in Expedition DO! until the Finalist Pre-selection Bootcamp, extra credits via Doctoral Schools may be obtained. More details will be given at the start of the expedition. In this case the general regulations of Doctoral Schools will apply.

The timing of the 2024 track will be as follows (individual monthly coaching sessions still to be added):

• 31 January: opening of the applications
• 29 February: closing of the applications
• 7-8 March: Selection Pitches
• 14 March: Welcome Event
• 22-24 March: Kickoff Bootcamp
• 28 March, 18 April, 25 April, 2 May, 13 May & 5 September: Thematical Workshops
• 02 July: Summer Pitch
• 29 August: Progress Presentation
• 14-15 September: Finalist Pre-selection Bootcamp
• 03 October: Final Destination Pitch Night

At least 1 active team member needs to be present during each of these activities.
Consider the intensive Expedition DO! schedule a small step for you but a huge leap forward for your startup.

Please be aware that this list of activities is not exhaustive and that the timings are subject to change.

These succesful startups are alumni of the programme:

• Ad Astra Industries
• AlfaSent
• B-COS
• BluePrint
• Bright Energy
• b.stim
• Carotein
• Cover Me
• Dacx.ai
• Dripl
• Ecotel Consultancy
• Esave
• EZZ Drinks
• FeedbackAId
• Furnify
• Green Circle Salons
• Gutsy
• KNUSS
• LongDragon School
• Lopos
• Nepture
• Optimize
• Previso
• Rebin
• Relivo
• Reuseful
• Sempl
• SpineWise
• Taito
• Tekst.ai

To make a valid application as a team, you fill out: 

• 1 concept subscription
• an individual subscription for every active team member 

For example:

You’re a solo team? Then fill out 1 concept subscription and 1 individual subscription.

Or you’re a team consisting of 3 active team members? Then fill out 1 concept subscription and 3 individual subscriptions (team members fill out their own individual subscriptions).

Part of the individual subscription is the Hunchup Test. Filling out this test takes about 46 minutes.

Once the concept subscription for the team has been finalised, all active team members will receive a link to the individual subscription form.