Turn your idea into a business.
A free, online bootcamp that takes you from a rough business idea to a strong proposal, with a chance to pitch in front of a panel of Ford Credit Europe executives.
A practical start in business
Over about a week, you learn how to build a small business from the ground up: understanding your customer, shaping a product, and putting together a plan that could actually make money. It is designed for real, everyday businesses you could start where you live, using tools that are free or very low cost.
This is about the fundamentals of running a small or medium business (an SME), not chasing a high-tech, investor-funded startup. No experience needed. You just need an idea, or the willingness to find one. We especially welcome ideas that are good for people and the planet, and we give extra support to students building sustainable businesses.
You build one thing: your pitch deck
Every session adds to a single pitch deck. By the end you have a complete pitch, ready to present, and yours to keep.
The themes
Design thinking
Find a real problem worth solving, then get to know the exact customer who has it. You'll build a customer persona specific enough to guide every decision for the rest of the week.
Business model & finance
Turn your idea into a venture that could actually work, and pay. You'll design your business model around four pillars, customer, value, competition and distribution, then test whether the numbers hold together.
Communications & branding
Give your venture a name, a story and a pitch that lands. You'll learn the five-part investor pitch structure and rehearse it until it's yours, ready for the Dragons' Den.
Your educators
Each theme is taught live by a volunteer professional who does this work for a living. They teach the session, answer your questions in the moment, and see your idea develop across the week.
Bre McQuade
Christopher Varin
To be announced
What a week looks like
Six core 60-minute live sessions run each weekday from Monday 14 to Friday 18 September, with the last on Monday 21 September, plus supporting videos, readings, and assignments on Google Classroom you can work through in your own time. Daily sessions run 17:00 to 18:00 UK time.
What an impact investor looks for in a social business
Gabriel invests in businesses that set out to do social good and still stand up commercially. In this optional session, he explains what he looks for when he assesses one, and how a founder can show that both sides of that work. Useful for anyone building a venture with a social or environmental purpose, and open to the whole cohort.
Attend live
Join all six live, taught sessions on Microsoft Teams and earn your certificate of completion.
Learn asynchronously
Cannot always make the live times? Watch recordings and complete all the assignments on Google Classroom instead.
Try to attend live if you possibly can. The live sessions are the only time you can ask the teaching team a question and get an answer there and then. The recordings are a backup, not the default.
Finishing either route earns your certificate of completion. Separately, every student who takes part receives a Certificate of Recognition for their attendance and the hard work they put in.
The Dragons' Den is a pitch competition you can enter as an individual, or in partnership with another student. For the full experience, and the best chance of success, we would recommend entering with a partner: business is collaborative, and teamwork is essential to getting it right.
Throughout the bootcamp you build the skills to develop a mock business proposal, put together a plan, and pitch it to a panel of experts. A successful pitcher is developing their own professional brand, not just the brand of their product. It is a real chance to present under pressure and hear directly from Ford Credit Europe executives, who evaluate your pitch and give you feedback.
How pitches are selected
The strongest ten pitches go live at the Dragons' Den
Each pitch is a maximum of five minutes
What if my pitch isn't chosen?
Your pitch is the clearest expression of everything you build across the bootcamp, so the work is never wasted. Every student who submits a pitch will receive individual, personal feedback on their idea, whether or not it is selected for the Den. And you are warmly welcome to join the Dragons' Den as an audience member to cheer on your cohort and see the pitches in action.
A Google account
Your lessons, assignments, and recordings live on Google Classroom, so a free Google account is required.
Microsoft Teams
Live sessions run on Microsoft Teams, which is free to join from a phone or a computer.
Works on your phone
Everything is built to work on a mobile and on a modest internet connection. No special equipment needed.
Who can apply
Open to students aged 18 to 35. Priority goes to Prowibo's existing students, who come from countries such as Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ghana, and Luxembourg, among others.
Apply for the 2026 bootcamp
It is free, it is online, and it could be the start of your first business. Applications are open now.