01 · Discover
Discover
The team observes its surroundings, identifies a specific problem and defines the group of people affected by it.
Programme for young people
Young people, real challenges, mentoring and prototypes.
Future Founders is a developing entrepreneurship and innovation programme for students from upper-secondary schools in Gdańsk. It brings together young people, schools, companies, universities, mentors and ecosystem organisations around hands-on work on real-world challenges.
This is not a traditional entrepreneurship class
or a business plan competition.
What it is
From a real problem to a tested idea and a presentation at Demo Day.
A programme that takes students from identifying a problem to creating and presenting a solution.
Future Founders is not about writing theoretical business plans or inventing products without understanding the people who might use them. Participants work in teams on real challenges, talk to potential users, explore their needs, develop ideas and prototypes, and then present the results of their work.
Entrepreneurship understood as more than starting a company
An important distinction
Not a school competition for the best idea. A practical process built around a real challenge.
It is not
- a traditional entrepreneurship class
- a theoretical business plan exercise
- designing a solution without talking to its users
- a one-off event with no follow-up
It is
- teamwork focused on a real problem
- researching needs and testing assumptions
- building and testing simple prototypes
- using feedback from users and mentors
- presenting the results at Demo Day
How the programme works
Five stages from identifying a problem to Demo Day.
The clubs follow a simplified startup development cycle: Discover, Validate, Build, Launch and Grow.
02 · Validate
Validate
Students conduct interviews, conversations or surveys, analyse the results and check whether the problem is real and important to its users.
03 · Build
Build
The team creates a simple prototype, gathers feedback and uses it to improve the solution.
04 · Launch
Launch
Participants consider how the solution could work in practice, reach its users and potentially be financed.
05 · Grow
Grow
The team presents its results at Demo Day, reflects on the process and identifies possible next steps.
The cycle is a guide, not a rigid instruction.
If research or feedback shows that the problem needs to be
better understood or the solution needs to change,
the team can return to an earlier stage.
13
sessions from identifying a problem to prototyping and presentation
How the work is structured
There is time to research, test, improve and develop the idea.
The programme guides students through the full process: from identifying a problem and researching user needs, through prototyping and collecting feedback, to preparing the project for presentation at Demo Day.
Core elements of the programme
Schools, real challenges and people who help young teams develop solutions.
01
Future Founders Clubs
School-based student teams that meet regularly and develop solutions through practical project work.
02
Challenge Bank
A collection of real problems submitted by companies, institutions, the City and programme partners.
03
Innovation Sprints
Intensive events where young people work on selected challenges with support from mentors.
04
Mentoring
Support from experts in business, research, technology, design and entrepreneurship.
05
Demo Day
The final presentation of ideas and prototypes to companies, universities, partners and representatives of the wider ecosystem.
What participants develop
Entrepreneurship is about much more than starting a company.
Participants learn to recognise needs, ask better questions, use data, work together, share responsibility, make decisions under uncertainty, respond to feedback and communicate their ideas.
Agency
Collaboration
User research
Prototyping
Project work
Feedback
Data
Presentation
Responsibility
Who Future Founders is for
The programme connects young people with business, research and innovation in practice.
01
Young people
Students interested in technology, entrepreneurship, project work and solving real-world problems.
02
Schools
Schools that want to develop future-ready skills and connect students with practitioners from business and academia.
03
Companies & institutions
Partners that want to submit a challenge or contribute expertise, mentors, technologies, data or space.
04
Universities & mentors
People and organisations interested in supporting teams and helping young people develop their strongest ideas.
Join Future Founders
Want to help shape the programme?
If you represent a school, company, institution or university, or would like to get involved as a mentor, contact the Future Founders team directly.
Future Founders
Anna Malinowska
Programme and partnership enquiries
a.malinowska@startergdansk.pl
Future Founders
Sylwia Braszczyńska
Programme and partnership enquiries
s.braszczynska@startergdansk.pl