What is “Vibecoding Bootcamp”?
Welcome to the new way to build startups. In a world where anyone can turn a concept into a working prototype in minutes using AI, Vibecoding Bootcamp helps you combine design thinking with AI-powered creation tools to bring your ideas to life quickly.
Across three immersive days, you’ll discover how to spot real-world problems, use strategy frameworks to design customer-centred solutions, and then turn those solutions into simple prototypes using AI “vibecoding” platforms like Lovable or Cursor with no coding required. By the end of the sprint, you and your team will have a prototype, a short pitch, and a clear understanding of how modern founders build in the AI era.
Why We’re Doing This
Imperial’s Enterprise Lab created this sprint for students who are curious about entrepreneurship but may not know where to start. “Vibecoding” captures the new creative reality. You describe the vibe of what you want to make, and AI tools help you build it. This program gives you the mindset, structure, and confidence to do exactly that.
What You’ll Learn
- How to identify a problem worth solving and define your target customer
- How to use the Value Proposition Canvas to shape your idea
- How to turn prompts into working prototypes using AI vibecoding tools
- How to communicate your idea through a concise 2-minute pitch
Everything you learn is practical. You’ll use it to build something real by Day 3.
When and Where
- Dates: Monday 1 December, Wednesday 3 December, Thursday 4 December 2025
- Times: 10:00 – 13:00 and 14:00 – 17:30Â
- Location: Online via Zoom, Miro, and Mentimeter
- Breaks: Short 5–10 min breaks every hour
The Three-Day Flow
Day 1 – Find the Vibe
Kick off with team formation and the Six Thinking Hats method to generate ideas fast. Identify customer problems and map them using the Customer Profile tool. Learn how to run quick discovery interviews and decide whether to pivot or persevere.
→ Output: Customer + Problem Card
Day 2 – Build the Vibe
Use the Value Proposition Canvas to connect your idea to real customer needs. Then learn to use Lovable (and similar AI builders) to create a first version of your product whether it’s an app, a tool, or a landing page (all through natural-language prompts.)
→ Output: Working prototype or landing page
Day 3 – Share the Vibe
Transform your insights into a crisp 2-minute pitch. You’ll present your prototype live to the judges, get feedback, and celebrate the most creative and validated ideas.
→ Output: Lightning pitch + feedback + certificate
Team Setup
- Join solo or with friends (everyone’s welcome)
- No idea? You’ll discover one together on Day 1.
- Not sure about your team? You can switch at the end of Day 1 once you’ve found your vibe.
Important! If you can’t attend every minute of the programme, you can still take part. Please ensure that at least one member of your team is present in each teaching block so your project keeps moving forward. For Day 1’s customer-discovery interviews, full-team attendance is strongly recommended. We will record the open teaching segments and share the replays afterwards; breakout rooms will not be recorded.
What You’ll Leave With
- A working prototype built with AI tools
- A clear value proposition for your idea
- Experience of real customer validation
- A shareable 2-minute pitch video
- Access to your team’s Miro board + templates
- A certificate of completion from Imperial Enterprise Lab
Who It’s For
- Students from any background including science, design, medicine, engineering, business and humanities
- Those curious about startups, AI tools, or creative collaboration
- No coding or prior startup experience needed
All you need is an open mind, curiosity, and an internet connection.
This isn’t for you if…
- You’re expecting a pure AI bootcamp focused only on technical vibecoding tools.
- You want to master a specific platform (like Lovable or Cursor) in depth and we’ll use them as examples, not teach them step-by-step.
- You’re looking for a ready-made startup idea or pre-built product.
- You’d rather stay in theory than test your ideas with real people.
- You’re not open to collaboration, reflection, and iteration (the sprint moves fast and is highly interactive.)
What this really is about
Yes, you’ll experiment with vibecoding tools that let you turn words into working prototypes but that’s just the surface. The real goal is to learn how to think like a founder. You’ll practise Design Thinking, customer discovery, and Value Proposition Design which are the same creative problem-solving frameworks used by innovators at Google, IDEO, and Strategyzer. By the end, you’ll understand not only how to build faster with AI, but how to build smarter by designing products people actually want and need.
The Pitch & Prizes
On Thursday afternoon, each team will deliver a 2-minute live pitch (with 30 sec buffer) to a panel of judges. Judges will look for:
- Clear understanding of customer problem
- Evidence of testing or validation
- Creativity and clarity of solution
- Effective teamwork
Prizes will be awarded to the most promising and well-validated ideas.
What You’ll Need
- Laptop or tablet with camera + mic
- Reliable internet connection
- Access to Zoom and browser (Chrome recommended)
- Enthusiasm and curiosity (no technical skills required)
Facilitated by
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (the “College” or “Imperial”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information about you during and after your relationship with us, in accordance with the applicable data protection legislation and the College’s Data Protection Policy.
Please find the Imperial College London – Enterprise Division Privacy Notice here.