WE Innovate
5 months, 3 phases and £30,000 up for grabs!
WE Innovate champions women-led teams with an entrepreneurial idea to explore.
Thank you to all who participated in the WE Innovate 2024 Grand Final.
We hope you enjoyed the experience. If you weren’t able to join us on the night, you can still view the Grand Final online.
What is WE Innovate?
We think great things can only happen when everyone has a seat at the table, which is why WE Innovate was created. To inspire, empower and increase the number of women-led start ups!
WE Innovate is a 5-month programme running from January to June. The programme supports the development of up to 25 teams through masterclasses, business coaching, 1-to-1 expert support, peer mentoring and much more. There are 3 phases during which 25 teams become a final 5 who then compete for a chance to win a share of the £30,000 prize fund.
The Prizes
All prizes will be chosen by our judging panel at the WE Innovate Final!
A share of the £30K prize fund
Engineers in Business Award
Lauren Dennis in Memoriam Award
Meet the 2024 Cohort
Find out about the impressive teams on this year’s WE Innovate cohort on our online pitch book
Learning outcomes
By the end of this programme you’ll have learnt how to:
Understand the needs of, and how to talk to your customers
Create a compelling pitch deck and deliver with confidence
Understand what IP is and how to protect yours
Build a successful team, culture and business
Understand different funding needs and opportunities and expand your network
Entry requirements
- Your team lead must identify as a woman (your team can identify as other genders or none). We use an inclusive definition of ‘woman’ and ‘women’, welcoming, but not limited to, trans women.
- Your team lead must be a current undergraduate, post-graduate student or Early Career Researcher at Imperial College London OR must’ve graduated within the last 3 years (since October 2021).
- If you’ve previously been accepted and participated in the WE Innovate or Althea-Imperial Programme, you won’t be able to apply again as a team lead. Please note that if you’ve previously applied but not been successful, you can apply again.
- WE Innovate alumni who join or support teams participating in the programme will not be permitted to pitch at the WE Innovate Final should their team be selected as a finalist.
Key Dates
WE Innovate launches in late January 2025
WE Innovate is split into 3 phases – Phase 1 consists of 7 weeks of masterclasses and coaching sessions to help teams prepare for Phase 2 applications. There will also be regular programme check-ins.
Phase 2 introduces mentoring sessions alongside the coaching and masterclasses ahead of applications for Phase 3: where we’ll focus on pitch preparation ahead of the grand final. The Grand Final will take place on Wednesday 4th June 2025.
Applications
| Tuesday 1st October | Applications open |
| Sunday 24th November | Applications close at 23:59 |
| Mid-December | Applicants notified |
Phase One
| Thursday 30th January, 5:30~9pm | WE Innovate 2025 Launch | In-person |
| 3rd – 6th February, day time slots | KTH IRL Entry Coaching | Online |
| Thursday 6th February, 5:30~9pm | Customer Discovery Masterclass | In-person |
| 10th – 13th February, day time slots | Business Coaching | Online |
| Tuesday 11th February, 6~7.30pm | Mental Resilience and Performance Masterclass | Online |
| Thursday 13th February, 6~9pm | Whole Cohort Social | In-person |
| Tuesday 18th February, 6:30~7pm | Introduction to Legal Basics | Online |
| Thursday 20th February, 5:30~9pm | Fundraising and Finance | In-person |
| 24th-26th February, day time slots | Founder Check-in | Online |
| Thursday 27th February, 5:30-9pm | Building a Pitch Deck Masterclass | In-person |
| Friday 28th February | Phase 2 Applications open |
| Tuesday 4th March, 1~2pm | Introduction to IP | Online |
| Thursday 6th March, 5:30~9pm | Pitch Performance Masterclass | In-person |
| 5th – 6th March, day time slots | Office Hours | Online |
| 10th, 12th-13 March, day time slots | Business Coaching | Online |
| Tuesday 9th March, 3~5pm | Peer-to-Peer Pitch Practice | In-person |
| Thursday 13th March, 5:30~9pm | Meet the WEI Alumni | In-person |
| Monday 17th March, 9am | Phase 2 Applications Close |
| Thursday 20th March, 5:30-9pm | Leadership Masterclass | In-person |
| Friday 21st March, 5pm | Phase 2 teams announced |
| 25th – 26th March, day time slots | Phase 1 Exit Feedback | Online |
| 7th – 9th April, day time slots | KTH IRL Exit Coaching for Phase 1 | Online |
| 14th – 16th April | Feedback Exit Calls for Phase 1 | Online |
Phase Two
| Monday 24th March | Phase 2 commences |
| Thursday 27th March, 6-7:30pm | Introduction to Women-led Investment | Online |
| Tuesday 1st April | Founder Check-in | Online |
| 2nd – 4th April, 2 night stay | Founder Retreat | In-person |
| Tuesday 8th April, 6-7:30pm | Financial Forecasting Masterclass | Online |
| Thursday 10th April, 5:30-9pm | Meet the Peer Mentors | In-person |
| 14th – 15th April, day time slots | Pitch Deck Coaching | In-person |
| 17th April – 22nd April | Easter break, College Closure |
| 23rd – 24th April, day time slots | Business Coaching | Online |
| 23rd – 25th April, individually organised | Peer Mentoring with Alumnus | Online |
| 28th – 29th April, day time slots | Pitch Practise | In-person |
| Thursday 1st May, 9:30am-1pm | Investor Pitch Panels | In-person |
| Thursday 8th May, 10am-4pm | Semifinal Pitch Panels | In-person |
| Thursday 9th May, 10am-12pm | Phase 3 teams announced |
| Thursday 15th May. day time slots | KTH IRL Exit Coaching for Phase 2 | Online |
| 20th – 21st May, day time slots | Feedback Exit Calls for Phase 2 | Online |
Phase Three
| Monday 12th May | Phase 3 commences |
| Friday 16th May, day time slots | Founder Check-in | Online |
| 12th – 16th May, individually organised | Peer Mentoring with Alumnus | Online |
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Tuesday 20th May. 10am-1pm |
1:1 Pitch Practice | In-person |
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Thursday 22nd May, day time slots |
1:1 Pitch Deck Design | Online |
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Tuesday 27th May, day time slots |
1:1 Pitch Practice | In-person |
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Thursday 29th May, day time slots |
Q&A Pitch Practice | In-person |
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Monday 2nd June, 10am-12pm & 1-5pm |
Pitch Practice | In-person |
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Tuesday 3rd June, 4-6pm |
WEI Final: Dress Rehearsal |
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Wednesday 4th June, 4:30-6pm |
WEI Final: VIP Reception |
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Wednesday 4th June. 5:30-9pm |
WEI Grand Final 2025 |
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Tuesday 10th June, day time slots |
KTH IRL Exit Coaching for Phase 3 |
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Thursday 12th June, day time slots |
Feedback Exit Calls for Phase 3 |
FAQs
Can I talk to someone about my application?
Absolutely! You can chat to us during our online clinic times by booking into an information session.
Can I submit several projects?
Yes! As long as you’ve done the required research on all of them (see our Entry Requirements 👆) you can submit several ideas.
When can I expect a reply regarding my application?
We aim to notify all applicants of their status by 5pm on Thursday 12 December 2024
I’ve submitted my application, but haven't received a confirmation email. Should I have?
A confirmation message should appear once you have reviewed and submitted your application. If you do not see the message please double check that you have pressed submit after the last question.
What are the Terms and Conditions?
You can find the programme Terms and Conditions here.
Testimonials
“Being part of WE Innovate has been an amazing experience. Every week, I looked forward to attending WE Innovate as I know I will see friendly faces, both students and staff, as well as learn an invaluable skill that I have never been taught in my academic training.”
How to apply
Applications for the 2024 programme have now closed. We will be recruiting for our 2025 cohort in Autumn 2024.
Interested in being in next year’s WE Innovate cohort?
Our Sponsor
Are you interested in supporting Imperial’s entrepreneurial women?
For the first time in five years we are looking for the next WE Innovate sponsor. Email Sarah Ranchev-Hale for more information: [email protected]
10 Years of WE Innovate
In 2014, Imperial launched the first women’s entrepreneurship competition at a UK university with one clear objective: to address the stark inequalities faced by female founders. Ten years on, the programme has supported over 500 women who have gone on to raise more than £37.5 million for their ventures.