TEL Programme for Startups
The Entrepreneurship Lab (TEL) equips you with unmatched access to decision-makers in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the UK and beyond. You will interact with industry experts and prominent investors who have committed their time to be a part of the TEL venture partner network. You will have the opportunity to draw on the energy and expertise of London Business School’s brightest talent to drive strategic initiatives. You will also have the opportunity to raise capital for your venture. Through this unique access to insight, intellect, and introductions, you will accelerate your startup’s pathways to success.
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Application deadline: 9 January 2024
Applications are now closed for the 2024 cohort. Register your interest for the 2025 cohort below.
Feedback from Investors and Experts
A range of industry experts and prominent investors will be available to support your startup-specific issues. Through a series of four intense sessions, you will gain insights into market trends and best practices.
Access to Talent
A team of selected MBA students from London Business School will work with you throughout the programme to discover and deliver on key strategic insights. Over a period of four months, a team of highly skilled and motivated students with relevant expertise and experience will supercharge your efforts, be that business development, go-to-market, fundraising, or anything needed to take your product and company to the next level.
Networking and Fund Raising
Our mentor network counts some of the leading decision-makers in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Europe. You will have the opportunity to pitch your idea to a panel of investors from some of the top European VCs and potentially secure the funds to grow your business.
Venture Partners
Gbenga Ajayi
Partner at QED Ventures
Thomas Bigagli
Partner at Plug and Play
Ella Goldner
Co-Founder & General Manager at Zinc
Hussein Kanji
Partner at Hoxton Ventures
Ollie Purdue
Partner at Antler
Maren Bannon
Co-Founder & Managing Partner at January Ventures
Illai Gescheit
Partner at Siemens Energy Ventures
Megumi Ikeda
Managing Director & General Manager at Hearst Ventures
Farhan Lalji
Founder and General Partner at LTV Capital
Blanca Rodriguez
Professor of Computational Medicine at Oxford & Head of Impact Acceleration
Who is this for?
TEL is designed to help early-stage technology ventures to grow. You should consider applying to the programme if your startup has either developed a working prototype, achieved initial sales traction, or secured a pre-seed round. In other words, if you are in the initial ideation phase, we encourage you to consider one of our future cohorts.
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We expect the admitted founders to attend three in-person sessions at London Business School in London between January 2023 and March 2023. Please check out the programme structure below for more details. We also expect the LBS participants to be able to meet the founders in between these sessions to be able to help them with their goals and progress. Therefore, we have a preference for ventures that are located in or in close proximity to London. That said, if you are elsewhere in the UK or Europe, but can meet the two conditions above, please do apply. Make sure to explain how you can meet these two conditions as part of your application.
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Application deadline: 9 January 2024
Programme Structure
The programme consists of two face-to-face discussion, feedback, and workshop sessions, and one final investment pitch session. All participants are expected to attend the following three sessions in person at London Business School:
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Feedback session: Friday, 26 January 2024, 8:30am-1:00pm
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Workshops: Friday, 2 February 2024, 8:30am-1:00pm
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TEL Unlock: Friday, 15 March 2024, 1:00pm-5:30pm
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During the first session, each startup team has the opportunity to present their venture and progress to a panel of experts and investors. The panel will accordingly provide crucial feedback on what the team needs to focus on during the programme. The feedback is unique to each startup and can include developing a go-to-market strategy, performing an in-depth market research, developing a revenue model, or assessing product-market fit. Up to three LBS students will be assigned to each startup team to work with them closely on implementing the feedback received from the panel.
Each participating startup has access to one venture partner assigned to them between the first and third sessions to get additional feedback on their progress.
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The second session involves several workshops on key topics such as valuation, market sizing, and developing pitch presentations.
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Finally, the startups that successfully progress through the programme will have a chance to make an investment pitch to a panel of investors during the TEL Unlock event (third session). LBS students will also help startups with preparing their pitch decks and presentations. If you have any questions, please contact us at helloTEL@london.edu.
Our Team
Associate Professor
London Business School
Associate Professor
Academic Director of Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
London Business School
Keyvan Vakili
Associate Professor
London Business School
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Are there any fees to apply or participate?TEL is completely free. You do not need to pay for your application or participation. We also do not take any equity in admitted startup.
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Tips for your applicationAvoid jargons. Explain the problem and your proposed solution in simple language. Don't oversell your idea. Don't undersell it either. Be honest about the challenges that your venture faces.
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What are the admission criteria?We are particularly interested in teams that have the following characteristics: You have a novel and promising idea to solve a specific problem Your team has the right set of technical capabilities to address the problem You are passionate about your venture and its vision We also assess the likelihood that your venture would fail before the end of the programme and the technical feasibility of your proposed solution. Your are also more likely to be admitted if you have either developed a working prototype, achieved initial sales traction, or secured a pre-seed round.
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Our team has no mangerial experience/expertise. Can we still apply?Yes! Absolutely. You are exactly the type of team we would like to have at TEL. One of TEL's main value propositions is to give you access to some of the best business talent you can find in the world.
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Is my information/idea safe with you?Yes. Your idea and information are safe with us. We strictly follow London Business School's privacy policy. We may use the collected information for internal research and analysis. However, TEL will not share any technical information or intellectual property about your venture with third-party researchers. No information about your team or venture will be publicly shared without your consent.
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What is the application process?After filling out the application form, you will receive a confirmation email. Please make sure to check your spam folder in case the confirmation email accidentally ended up there. We may subsequently contact you to gather additional information regarding your application. We will then evaluate your application and update you with the decision outcome by 20 January 2023.
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I have already raised a seed round. Am I too late for TEL?Yes, we welcome post-seed applicants if we believe TEL can contribute to their continuing success and growth. TEL is mostly geared toward ventures that have passed the conception stage and aim to raise a Seed or Series A round in three to six months since joining the programme.
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Does my venture have to be in London?We expect the admitted founders to attend three in-person sessions at London Business School in London between January 2023 and March 2023. Please check out the programme structure for more details. We also expect the LBS participants to be able to meet the founders in-between these sessions to be able to help them with their goals and progress. Therefore, we have a preference for ventures that are located in or in close proximity to London. That said, if you are elsewhere in the UK or Europe, but can meet the two conditions above, please do apply. Make sure to explain how you can meet these two conditions as part of your application.
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Do I need co-founders to apply?No. Single founders can also apply. The key is to have the right technical expertise to execute your idea.
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Does TEL take any equity in the admitted ventures?No. TEL takes no equity in your venture. There are also no fees for application or participation.
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Does TEL provide any funding?No. TEL does not provide any funding. We expect the participating ventures to have enough resources to be able to successfully finish the programme. The ventures that successfully progress through the programme will have a chance to make an investment pitch to a panel of investors during the final TEL Unlock event. Please see the proramme structure for more details. You can also raise funds at any point during the programme. All deals are done outside of the TEL purview.