Venture Lab - Our Approach

Venture Lab unleashes entrepreneurial potential and creates startups that positively impact the world at scale. Our work provides:

• Inspiration: igniting passion for purpose-driven innovation and value creation
• Self-belief: raising aspirations and nurturing confidence to push the boundaries of possibility
• Empowerment: providing the knowledge, resources and connections to turn ideas into reality

Venture Lab’s approach to innovation and entrepreneurship is underpinned by our belief that Durham University students and graduates can achieve significant positive impact in the world. Our programmes and services the earliest stages of self-reflection and problem exploration, through to the launch and early-stage growth of new ventures.

Principles 

The Venture Lab principles outline the approach we encourage those accessing our programmes and services to adopt. They reflect the mindset our experience has shown to be vital if our students and graduates are to achieve success in an entrepreneurial context.

Venture Lab Compass

The Venture Lab Compass provides a sense of direction to our students and graduates embarking on their innovation and entrepreneurial journeys.  Our team uses the compass to deliver clarity in our offer, allowing students to choose the right opportunities to engage with depending on their goals and current position.

The Venture Lab Compass shown below details the stages of innovation and entrepreneurship that our collective programmes and services cover.

Students engaging with our key programmes complete self-reflective assessment of their competencies related to the relevant stage(s) of the Venture Lab compass and are able to track their development.