Foundervine & OneTech
A great weekend with amazing Founders 🚀
OneTech Founders Weekend is designed to help you form teams, build networks and launch your very own start-up.
In collaboration with our partners OneTech, Foundervine were pleased to deliver Founders Weekend, our second cohort after our succesful event in April 2020.
For the entrepreneurs who joined us on Founders Weekend, it was an opportunity to not only shine in front of industry leaders by presenting their hard work on our virtual pitch day but also a chance to network, make new friends and meet co-founders.
We are thankful to Karen Brandt who summarised the event perfectly for us (she was also on the winning team, congratulations Karen and team Unifi 🥳)
Over the weekend I took part in Foundervine and OneTech’s Founders Weekend. A virtual entrepreneurship program that consisted of idea creation, business modelling, goal setting, mentoring and networking.
To say that it was a remarkable experience would be an understatement. After months of being in Covid-19 lockdown, the Netflix binges began to run dry and becoming an expert baker of banana bread and brownies didn’t quite motivate me any longer. As a consequence, I was actively seeking programs that would broaden my entrepreneurship knowledge and this weekend certainly did that. The weekend provided an amazing experience that developed my business acumen and skills to an unexpectedly high degree, all within the comfort of my own home, using Zoom.
Through the weekend, strangers met for the first time to actively collaborate and generate various ideas to present to industry professionals and potential investors. I personally had never experienced being (virtually) surrounded by such a likeminded community within such a short space of time. Talks and workshops ranged from goal creation to funding to pitching techniques which allowed a group of budding entrepreneurs insight into the world of entrepreneurship. Whilst it was a pretty jam-packed weekend with sessions running for eight hours on both the Saturday and Sunday, as each hour passed, I learnt something new.
For anyone who has an amazing idea or for those just interested in the world of start-ups, I would most certainly recommend participating within the weekend to not only develop your skills but also to expand your network of inspirational and ambitious young people.
To keep up with the winning team of Karen Brandt, Marcus Mattus and Maria Slobodina and their business idea, Unifi, follow @UnifiUK on Instagram!
Unifi, a marketplace for second-hand uniforms creating sustainability and affordability for millions of parents.
We would like to thank our Vine Community and our Vine Fellows who came out in full force to support and help us deliver this program. Our judges Erika Brodnock, CEO of Kami and Co-Founder, Extend Ventures, Femi Awoyemi and Emmanuel Asuquo who were able to offer their expert knowledge in deciding our winners. We are also thankful to the mentors who helped guide and shape these ideas over the weekend. Congratulations to Lauren Campbel, our star of the weekend 🤩! And also to Unifi, winners of Best Pitch & also Overall Winner 🏆. And also a special mention to Selectaire — Online retail store specialising in wig and hair for black women. Bringing wigs and hair brands onto one place who won the award for Best Teamwork 🥳
It was a great experience delivering this program, we are thankful to our cohort who made it a weekend to remember. Congratulations to the winning teams who will now be joining FoundersDoor by YSYS 👋🏾.
Foundervine are leaders in entrepreneurship cultivation and guidance and have been building a community over the last three years through running events, immersive learning programs and entrepreneurial initiatives. Get in touch at hello@foundervine.com to find out how we can help you.
