Workshops
Our workshops provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to build a successful startup.
Types of workshops
Open to all
Workshops open to everyone, both at and outside Aarhus University.
Customer Relationship Management - work smarter
A Customer Relationship Management tool (CRM tool) is your startup’s commercial control board. It becomes key when designing and managing your customer journeys and they help you close as many customers as you can and lets you automate parts of your sales efforts.
Contacting potential and existing customers is a hazzle, so getting the most of it is key to any startup. When using CRM tools, you take a structured and strategic approach to managing and analyzing customer interactions, making the most of all your customer interactions. At the same time, it becomes a treasure trove of data to support your business case to investors, funding applications and financial forecasting in your startup.
CRM-systems come in many different shapes and sizes. In this workshop we will cover CRM-systems from a basic spreadsheet to dedicated CRM-software and build-it-yourself with NoCode/LowCode tools.
We will cover the pros and cons of different methods and help you assess which CRM-system is the best fit for your startup and help you get started.
YOU WILL GET
- An understanding of why startups use CRM – even early stage
- Introductions to 3 types of implementable CRM tools
- Hacks and tips to how to get started for free
Financial forecasting and cash flow
Mastering your startup’s financial future
Financially sound operations are key to any startup that wants to be in the market for the long run. However, accurately predicting a startup’s future financial standing presents a challenging task.
Ever wondered:
- Will our startup ever achieve profitability?
- When could we potentially run out of cash?
- Do we need investment or alternative cash sources? And if so, how much and when?
In this workshop, you’ll acquire the essential skills to craft your own cash flow statement and forecast your financial trajectory.
Who should you attend?
This workshop is tailored for startups that anticipate incurring development costs before reaching profitability. No prior financial expertise is necessary – all you need are basic Excel skills and a positive attitude.
YOU WILL GET
- A Financial Forecast Excel spreadsheet to start plotting your numbers and foresee your startup’s financial future.
- A Cash Flow Excel spreadsheet that keeps you informed about potential cash shortages.
If you’re exploring sources of funding, be sure to check out our “Finding the right funding for your startup ” workshop
Finding the right funding for your startup
Do you want to understand the pros and cons of the various funding sources?
Join our workshop and get an understanding of what various cash providers require in terms of deliveries and ownership in your startup. We will focus on easy understandable terms; hence anyone can join.
The goal of the workshop is that you are able to navigate the funding landscape and make a plan for your funding journey.
We will cover sources such as:
- Bootstrapping
- FFF (friends, family and fools)
- Case competitions
- Soft funding
- Grants for science-backed projects’
- Accelerators and incubators
- Business angel networks
- Banks
- Crowdfunding
- Sales and customer cooperation’s as a financial driver
- Venture Capital
YOU WILL GET
- An overview of the various funding sources
- An understanding of the pros and cons. for each funding source
- Inspiration for your own “funding journey” for your startup
Get what you want in negotiations
We negotiate every day – even in situations where we don’t think we negotiate. We negotiate with suppliers and customers as well as with colleagues, family and friends.
Knowing what you want and how to ask for it is a highly valuable skill needed to succeed in negotiations. But as an inexperienced entrepreneur you might find it surprisingly difficult to ask for what you want. Be it in relation to customers, investors or other people who engage with your startup.
The goal of this workshop is to make you more efficient in “getting what you want” and at the same time maintaining good relationships. This will help you attract much needed resources such as practical help from other people and better deals with your suppliers.
YOU WILL GET
- Become a better negotiator
- Learn about Thompson’s 10 pie-slizing strategies
- Hands-on exercises
Also check out the other negotiation workshop "Realize win-win potentials in negotiations"
Investor readiness
Are you seeking private investors? Prepare yourself to navigate the funding process with confidence.
Securing private funding for the first time often raises important questions:
- What type of investor should we contact, how and when?
- How much equity should we offer and at what valuation?
- What ticks the boxes for private investors?
- At this workshop we equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to raise private capital successfully
YOU WILL GET
- An intro to investor types, funding rounds and types of investments.
- A Cap-table Excel spreadsheet to plan future ownership distribution.
- Expert tips to make you irresistibly appealing to investors
If you’re exploring alternative funding avenues like public soft funding, be sure to check out our “Finding the right funding for your startup ” workshop
Realize win-win potentials in negotiations
The best negotiations are not about give and take, but rather about creating a better deal for both parties. The workshop tunes in on how both you and your counterpart(s) can create win-win situations, and you will learn how you can take the lead in such negotiations processes.
The goal of this workshop is to make you a more successful negotiator. This will help you get better deals and develop your business smoother and more efficiently.
YOU WILL GET
- Become a better negotiator
- Learn about the Harvard Method
- Hands-on exercises
Also check out the other negotiation workshop "Get what you want in negotiations"
Sales strategy
Famous entrepreneur Mark Cuban got known for his phrase ‘sales cure all’. This is true in many ways, not least because sales boost your confidence and validate your business. But how do you go about strategy, tactics, and activities with the end goal of closing deals?
In this workshop, we cover the full sales cycle. From prospecting the ideal customer profile to contacting, building the relation, and utilizing the opportunity. We cover aspects of true value creation, customer-driven success, pitfalls, and not least closure of the sale.
The workshop centers on strategy as the overarching guiding principle. Within this strategy, we delve into the essential techniques to navigate common challenges within the sales cycle and day-to-day operations.
We believe that sales skills are essential and game-changing to any startup at any stage in any type of business, and you will get to know that any type of personality can practice sales.
In the workshop we will be using both theory and real-world examples to support the learning outcome of the workshop, and there will be plenty of opportunity to discuss.
YOU WILL GET
- A framework: from contact to closure
- Simple implementable tools to use in your startup
- A tool to keep structure of prospect dialogues
Unlock the power of your story
Join our workshop to harness the full potential of your story and your brand.
Your brand is your story. It’s the sum of all the impressions you leave: Your product, customer service, communication, appearance, and more. Every startup has a story, and we’re here to help you make it shine.
In this workshop, you’ll focus on your strengths and motivations, and learn how to use them strategically to grow.
Why attend?
- Turn your purpose and values into a business asset
- Discover tools to integrate your core values into your business strategy.
- Get simple tools for compelling storytelling that will captivate your audience.
- Being clear about your purpose, values, and unique selling points is a powerful way to build a meaningful story that stands out.
members only
Workshops for entrepreneurs at The Kitchen, join our hub to access.
Mature Your Idea
How do you know if your idea is a “good” one? And what are the first steps you can take to develop it further?
"Mature Your Idea” is a 2-hour workshop designed to help you dive deeper into your concept and explore its potential for growth. Together, we’ll uncover the core of your idea and gain insight into why it matters—to you and to others.
What you will gain
- A stronger understanding of the problem your idea addresses.
- Greater clarity on your idea’s potential.
- The tools to turn a spark of inspiration into a clear concept description.
Dates, location and signup!
TBA
Startup Essentials
This 3-part workshop series will help you develop your idea through a deeper understanding of what problem you are solving for your customers, the solution you provide and how you differentiate from your competitors.
Throughout the workshops you will use/learn hands-on tools on prototyping, pitching and how your network can be your strongest asset.
REQUIREMENTS
The Startup Essentials workshops are open exclusively to members of The Kitchen.
Please note - The Startup Essentials workshops are mandatory for all. We expect a significant part of your founder team to participate in all three workshops.
Workshop 1/3: The problem
Why are you the right person to do this?
Why start with the problem?
Do you really know who your customers are?
Workshop 2/3: Your solution:
How does your solution fit?
Can you predict the future?
How do you fake it till you make it?
Workshop 3/3: Your position
How different are you really?
What is the most dangerous sentence in the English language?
Why should you communicate your value?
YOU WILL GET
- Tools to help you validate your business idea
- Tools and inspiration to utilise your network
- Tools to start prototyping
- A "Go do" attitude 😉
Sign up
January
Workshop 1: 15 January 9.00-12.00
Workshop 2: 22 January 09.00-12.00
Workshop 3: 29 Januar 09.00-12.00
SIGN UP: HERE
February/March
Workshop 1: 18 February 9.00-12.00
Workshop 2: 25 February 12.30-15.30
Workshop 3: 4 March 9.00-12.00
SIGN UP: HERE
March/April
Workshop 1: 18 March 9.00-12.00
Workshop 2: 25 March 12.30-15.30
Workshop 3: 1 April 9.00-12.00
SIGN UP: HERE
May
Workshop 1: 13 May 12.30-15.30
Workshop 2: 21 May 9.00 - 12.00
Workshop 3: 27 May 9.00-12.00
SIGN UP: HERE
Pitch Week
Pitch Week is an intense week-long work zone where you work to build a clear and convincing pitchdeck.
Be it for public softfunding (Innofounder, Innobooster, Vækstfonden etc), private investors or anyone else who is interested in your startup. A well-tuned pitch deck is necessary for your startup when you want to communicate.
Throughout the week you meet with dedicated business developers and other startups for mutual feedback. In between you throw in a lot of work on your pitchdeck. The intense week ends in a finale on Friday where you pitch in front of a panel of investors, commercial people and other entrepreneurs.
We know from experience that you will improve your entire business idea and that your pitch improves dramatically over the course of the week.
YOU WILL GET
- A convincing 10 min. pitch deck
- Experience pitching to investors and other stakeholders
- A more solid business case
PROGRAM
March 10: 10.00-12.00: Kick-off
March 11: 12.30 -15.30: Feedback session
March 13: 9.00-12.00: Pitch rehearsal and feedback session
March 14: 10.00-13.00: Pitch presentaion
NB: Pitch Week is only open to startups that are part of The Kitchen. Consult your business developer before sign-up.
Sign up: Here
Entrepreneurial Resilience
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
How resilient are you? And how well do you adapt to challenges, recover from setbacks, and grow stronger in the face of hardship?As entrepreneurs you navigate countless unknowns and steep learning curves. Resilience is a crucial trait on this ever-changing journey.
Curious to know more?
Join us for the Entrepreneurial Resilience workshop and discover how wellbeing and resilience are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. In this workshop, we explore ways to cultivate sustainable habits for our work lives and take the first steps towards building a growth mindset by practicing a way to view challenges as an opportunity to learn.
YOU WILL GET
- Insights to strengthen you and your startup
- Awareness, strategies, tools and everyday hacks for use on your entrepreneurial journey
- A space to reflect, share experiences and learn from peers.
SIGN UP
FEBRUARY
DATE: February 26, 2025
TIME: 12.30-15.30
SIGN-UP: Here
MAY
DATE: May 14, 2025
TIME: 09.00-12.00
SIGN-UP: Here
Which one should I choose?
Reach out to our workshop expert to find out which workshop suits your needs or to learn more about any of our workshop types.