The incubation program aims to provide specialized and free support to students who have business concepts with development potential in the Romanian market. Following the "Idea Competition," the selected teams will have access to a series of modules that will shape feasible business models based on the identified vision and challenges.
Idea Competition
The event will provide students with the opportunity to present their business ideas to a jury composed of a group of mentors. The most interesting ideas will be selected to be part of the UBB Student i-Lab incubation program.
Octombrie 2025
The competition is open to all UBB students who have a business idea they wish to test and validate with the help of top experts in the field, as part of the "Incubation Program." Students can enter the competition either individually or alongside colleagues with whom they know they can form a creative, dynamic team eager to experiment with new things.
Each person/team will have 5 minutes to present the problem they wish to solve, the solution (product/service) they consider viable to address that problem, and their motivation for developing the business concept. To facilitate the presentation of the idea, the use of multimedia support (e.g., PowerPoint) is recommended, and the presentation can be delivered either in English or Romanian.
To register for the Idea Competition, please fill out the
Data limită de înscriere este TBD 10.2024, ora 23.59.
Incubation Program
The incubation program aims to provide specialized support to students who have business concepts with potential for development in the Romanian market.,an event scheduled to take place at the beginning of each semester. The selected teams will have access to a set of modules designed to help them develop a feasible business model and provide specialized support.
Octombrie 2025
Noiembrie 2025
Module 2.
Lean Start-up
- Understanding the defining a successful Start-Up
- Testing, validating and updating the business concept
- Customer Discovery
Speaker: David Mammano
David Mammano has founded seven companies and has drawn upon these experiences to instill courage in those who view entrepreneurship as the pathway to achieving their dreams. He has won the Inc. Magazine 5000 Growth Company award three times. He is a TEDx Speaker, a professor at the University of Rochester, and an author of books on entrepreneurship and strategic planning. He graduated from the University at Buffalo and the MIT Entrepreneurial Master's Program, a program focused on entrepreneurial development. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Western NY Make-A-Wish Foundation and a local member of the Junior Achievement council.
Module 3.
Value Proposition Design
– Developing unique and appealing value propositions
–Acquiring practical skills to transform and enhance the value offered by products or services developed by participants in the incubation program
–Outlining a business strategy with impact
Speaker:
Module 4.
Entrepreneurial Team Management
– Profiles that align with business models
– Challenges in Entrepreneurial Management
– Internationalization
– Partnerships
Speaker:
Module 5.
Business Modeling and Financing
– Challenges in Entrepreneurial Management
– Financial Business Models
– Budgeting and Financial Forecasting
Speaker: Alexandra Muțiu
Alexandra Muțiu is Vice-Rector of Babeș-Bolyai University, playing a strategic role in the university's leadership with key responsibilities related to Human Resources, Alumni, Career Development, and Student Counseling. She is a highly experienced professional, recognized for her exceptional skills in teaching Managerial Accounting and Controlling, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as in MBA and executive programs. With extensive teaching experience and a wealth of knowledge gained both at Babeș-Bolyai University and as a visiting professor at foreign universities, Alexandra Muțiu offers students the opportunity to learn through the case study method. She firmly believes that the first step to success is having a winner's mindset, a principle she shares with passion and determination.
Module 6.
Entrepreneurial Marketing
- Marketing in Entrepreneurship
– Bootstrap Marketing
– Social Marketing
Speaker: Georgiana Iancu and Cipriana Stan
Georgiana Iancu (Brandocracy) has been working in marketing and management since 2006. During all this time she has coordinated projects regarding employer branding, strategic and operational marketing, corporate communication, CSR, organizational development, and M&A communication.
Cipriana Stan (Brandocracy) brings over 15 years of expertise in marketing, having led numerous projects in digital marketing, internal communications, lead generation, employer branding, and both B2B and B2C marketing. Her experience spans diverse industries, including IT, healthcare, tourism, food production, financial services, ceramics, and education, working with both established companies and start-ups.
Decembrie 2025
Module 7.
Intellectual Property
– What You Need to Know About Intellectual Property
– Value Creation and the Role of the MVP in the Process
Speaker: Catherine Delevoye
Catherine Delevoye has more than 25 years of experience in advising entrepreneurs, supporting start-ups and scale-ups for their business strategies, paths to markets and the management of their portfolios of technologies, providing coaching and support services in terms of internationalisation, business development, investment readiness, innovation management and value chains.
She has been supporting companies in their international development in Europe, North America, India, Africa and the Middle East, providing tailored legal advice and expertise for their technology development, partnering and business modelling activities. She is working with innovative companies at all stages, from idea maturation to international growth, and supports entrepreneurs in their business and legal matters, from intellectual property management to agreements with clients, partners and investors worldwide
Module 8.
Scalability and Go to Market Strategy
– Creating the Value Chain
– Scaling-up
Speaker: Catherine Delevoye
Catherine Delevoye has more than 25 years of experience in advising entrepreneurs, supporting start-ups and scale-ups for their business strategies, paths to markets and the management of their portfolios of technologies, providing coaching and support services in terms of internationalisation, business development, investment readiness, innovation management and value chains.
She has been supporting companies in their international development in Europe, North America, India, Africa and the Middle East, providing tailored legal advice and expertise for their technology development, partnering and business modelling activities. She is working with innovative companies at all stages, from idea maturation to international growth, and supports entrepreneurs in their business and legal matters, from intellectual property management to agreements with clients, partners and investors worldwide
Module 9.
Partnerships and Internationalization of the Business
– Funding Options
– Internationalization: A Source of Competitive Advantage
– The art of partnerships
Speaker: Catherine Delevoye
Catherine Delevoye has more than 25 years of experience in advising entrepreneurs, supporting start-ups and scale-ups for their business strategies, paths to markets and the management of their portfolios of technologies, providing coaching and support services in terms of internationalisation, business development, investment readiness, innovation management and value chains.
She has been supporting companies in their international development in Europe, North America, India, Africa and the Middle East, providing tailored legal advice and expertise for their technology development, partnering and business modelling activities. She is working with innovative companies at all stages, from idea maturation to international growth, and supports entrepreneurs in their business and legal matters, from intellectual property management to agreements with clients, partners and investors worldwide
Module 10.
Pitching & Storytelling
– How to Make an Impactful Pitch
– How to Structure a Pitch Based on Your Target Audience
Speaker:
Module 11
Budget validation
Speaker: Alexandra Muțiu
Alexandra Muțiu is Vice-Rector of Babeș-Bolyai University, playing a strategic role in the university's leadership with key responsibilities related to Human Resources, Alumni, Career Development, and Student Counseling. She is a highly experienced professional, recognized for her exceptional skills in teaching Managerial Accounting and Controlling, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as in MBA and executive programs. With extensive teaching experience and a wealth of knowledge gained both at Babeș-Bolyai University and as a visiting professor at foreign universities, Alexandra Muțiu offers students the opportunity to learn through the case study method. She firmly believes that the first step to success is having a winner's mindset, a principle she shares with passion and determination.
Demo Day
The event provides future successful businesses developed within the incubation programs with the opportunity to be validated in front of a jury consisting of mentors and investors. It will offer the winners the opportunity to obtain funding and support from partner accelerators, and the most promising and elaborated concepts with potential for real-market development will be awarded.
The awards will consist of goods, money, and specialized support to ensure the continuity of the business concepts.
* Please have a look of the calendar to have an overview when the events will happen.
TBD Decembrie 2025
Beneficiaries of the incubation program will have the chance to validate their business concept in front of experienced entrepreneurs and instructors, both locally and internationally. Each concept will be showcased within a precise 5-minute timeframe and should emphasize highlight the proposed value, persona, competitive advantage, an estimated budget of targeted revenues and expenses, and future strategies. It is recommended that the pitch be delivered in English,, given that the jury will include specialists from Romania and abroad.
The registration form is available HERE (You will also find the template that must be used for the pitch)
Bunduchi Raluca is the Chair in Innovation at the University of Edinburgh Business School in the UK. Her research interests include: trust and transaction costs in electronic markets, institutionalisation processes in technology standardisation, the costs and benefits associated with process innovation, legitimation strategies for innovation, tensions in digital transformation, and approaches to innovation in digital firms.
Dehenes Dan (Executive Director Kaufland Romania & Moldova) has extensive experience in the retail industry. He graduated from the Executive Education program "Innovation & Leadership," organized by UBB FSEGA and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Ilya Avdeev is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Director of the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of the UWM Student Startup Challenge, leads the Milwaukee Regional Energy Education Initiative as Principal Investigator, and founded the Advanced Manufacturing and Design Laboratory. His research focuses on the design of energy storage systems and integrating design thinking into technical education.
Iancu Georgiana (Brandocracy) has been working in marketing and management since 2006. During all this time she has coordinated projects regarding employer branding, strategic and operational marketing, corporate communication, CSR, organizational development, and M&A communication.
Sevage Jeff Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Faber Entrepreneurship Center at Moore School, USA, has focused his research on identifying best practices for commercializing science-based innovations, effective patenting strategies, and developing entrepreneurial and innovation-based ecosystems. For 10 years, Mr. Savage has provided consulting to academic and scientific startups, serving as a faculty mentor in the NSF's I-Corps program. He collaborates with Savannah River National Laboratories and is a faculty advisor for the Gamecock Consulting Club.
Russ Browder helps leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators stand out through teaching and applied research. In the university or corporate classroom, Russ teaches entrepreneurial leadership, global entrepreneurship, communication and executive presence. His academic research study the connections between technology, learning, creativity, and organizational resilience in contexts such as emerging digital technologies, makerspaces, and crisis response.
Russ has received multiple teaching innovation awards as an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma.
Simina Lakatos is the founder and president of the Ernest Lupan Institute for Circular Economy and Environment (IRCEM), a position she has held since 2012. With a background in economics and technical fields, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a degree in Materials and Environmental Engineering. In 2011, she defended a thesis dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility. Her main focus is on accelerating the transition to a circular economy through coordinated initiatives, developing practical and scalable solutions, organizing campaigns at local, regional, and European levels, as well as promoting and disseminating information on the circular economy and sustainable development.
Calendar – an universitar 2025-2026
Module 1.
Start-up mindset
- Start-up Mindset and the psychology of success
- Leveraging failure in successful businesses
- The importance of mindset in the entrepreneurial journey
Module 2.
Lean Start-up
- Understanding the defining a successful Start-Up
- Testing, validating and updating the business concept
- Customer Discovery
Module 3.
Problem analysis
- Design Thinking
Developing Creative Skills in a Collaborative Environment
- Innovation and intellectual property
Module 4.
Value proposition design
– Product Market Fit
Customizing practical solutions adapted to customer expectation
- Structuring Value Proposition
Module 5.
Business Modeling and Financing
- Choosing the right business model
Sustainability of the Business Model
- Financing Solutions
Module 6
Go to Market Strategy
Strategic business planning
Competitive advantage relative to the needs and issues of the target segment
- Marketing tools and strategies
Module 7.
Scaling strategies
- Strategic planning for sustainable growth
- Challenges and solutions in the scaling phase of the business
Pitching
Pe parcursul modulelor participanții vor avea posibilitatea învăța ce presupune pregătirea unui Pitch în funcție de target, respectiv vor avea posibilitatea de a-și dezvolta abilitățile de public speaking.