Enrolling For 2025
Startup Bootcamp
For ambitious founders, pre-founders & those looking to learn the techniques to identify scaleable commercial opportunity
8 Workshops | March - May 2025
who is it for?Driven changemakers, fearless disruptors & passionate problem solvers who want to tackle life’s big challenges.
You will join a community of like-minded people at a similar stage of the journey as you - growing, pivoting and validating.
where is it?Bootcamp is hosted at CoLab, Atlantic Technological University - Donegal, programme associates.
Participants will have 1 or 2 workshops per week.
The programme concludes with an opportunity to present your journey at a showcase finale.
how much is it?Successful applicants will become ALPHA members and receive a FREE place in the programme, provided they plan to set up their venture from Donegal.
Participants will receive feedback from industry experts, learn success and fail stories and join ALPHA’s community of change makers along the way.
what you learn?-
The best businesses are built off the back of key problems that need to be solved. That’s why in week 1 we get a handle on your proposition and work on problem framing techniques
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You will learn how to conduct customer development interviews with potential targets and gain insights which will help you develop a better business proposition.
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You will craft a compelling value proposition statement based off the problem you are solving and the insights you have learned from your target customers.
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We will teach you techniques to identify any risky assumptions and run experiments to test
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You will explore a range of experimental techniques to test the market & gather data
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You will learn about important metrics to track in order to assess the sustainability of your business
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You will create a deck that will help you with piloting initial customer engagement
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No business plans here! Each week your progress will help you develop an aspect of your business model canvas, giving you a rounded view of key aspects of your business and opportunities where you can innovate.
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You will pitch your pivoted venture to an audience of peers & friends, while receiving valuable feeback from businesses who have grown, scaled & exited ventures.
Hear from last year’s Participants
2024 Highlights…
Win tickets to…
Disrupt By The Sea
Every Autumn, startup founders from across Ireland and beyond embark on Donegal, pitching to a panel of influential thought leaders, US investors operating in global markets and international disruptors.
High-excelling Bootcamp participants will win tickets to Disrupt By The Sea 2025, where they can secure key introductions with stakeholders who can provide tough love and insights into key export markets.
Get shortlisted for…
Pathfinder 2025
Each year, a select number of high-performing startups and innovation-driven enterprises have the opportunity to be considered for a Go-To-Market Lab which takes place at the Cambridge Innovation Centre, Boston.
The initiative is a collaboration between Donegal County Council and Derry & Strabane District Council who jointly fund the programme.
In 2023, Startup Bootcamp participant Christina McAlinden, traveled to Boston to take part, and joined the panel at the Golden Bridges luncheon at the end of an intensive week.