For MSc Entrepreneurship: The Entrepreneurship Project
The University of St Andrews invites organisations (startups or more established) to submit real-world challenges for our MSc Entrepreneurship students to address during their capstone module, The Entrepreneurship Project.
In this project, students collaborate in teams of 2-3 to develop a desirable, viable, and feasible business model for an entrepreneurial idea of their choice. It can be based either on problems they identify themselves or on problem statements from outside organisations, such as yours.
The project emphasizes a test-and-learn approach, including iterative idea development, testing, and refinement cycles. The project is ongoing throughout the 1-year program, but most work is carried out during the summer semester.
- October/November: Students initiate creative thinking about what problem to solve
and whom to team up with. Problem statements from outside organizations are
presented.
- Mid-February: Students select teams and problems.
- June-August: Students work intensively on their entrepreneurial project.
Each student group is provided an advisory board including an academic supervisor, the mentors of the individual team members, and a peer student group. The advisory board
provides feedback on the business model, helps the team set priorities and deadlines, and, where possible, facilitates relevant networking opportunities to support the project’s success.
What We are Looking For
We seek public, learning-friendly problem statements (no NDAs or confidential data) that give students the scope to:
- Conduct independent market research (interviews, surveys, desk research).
- Build and test simple, non-production prototypes (mockups, MVPs, digital demos) with potential users or stakeholders.
- Explore multiple solution paths while working within the scope of the MSc program.
Your challenge should be:
- Real-world and relevant to your startup or industry.
- Well-scoped: complex enough to spark creativity, but open enough for exploration.
- User-facing, not purely technical: For example, discovering new customer segments, improving onboarding, testing go-to-market strategies, digitalising a process, increasing engagement, etc.
- Non-critical in timing: suitable for exploration by students during the whole year without the need for immediate delivery.
Deadline for submissions: October 1st, 2025
- Format: Please provide 4-8 paragraphs describing the problem, its context, and why it matters.
- Content: Include enough background so students can understand and research the challenge, but please avoid sharing proprietary or sensitive information.
Once we've received your submission, we'll be happy to work with you to refine and shape your problem statement so it's clear, engaging, and well-suited for our student teams.
Presenting to Students
If your problem statement is selected, we would be delighted to have you share it directly with our student teams. You can present either in person at the University of St Andrews or
join us online, whichever works best for you. We have two presentation slots available for you to choose from:
- Friday, 31 October 2025, 11:00–13:00
- Friday, 7 November 2025, 11:00–13:00
Why Participate?
By contributing a challenge, you will:
- Gain fresh ideas from diverse, highly motivated MSc students.
- See your problem approached with structured, research-driven entrepreneurial
methods.
- Help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators
This initiative is a joint effort between the University of St Andrews Business School and the Entrepreneurship Centre of St Andrews Innovation. By working together, we connect our
students with real-world entrepreneurial challenges and provide startups with fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. We greatly value your participation in helping us create a
meaningful, hands-on learning experience.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your ideas, reach out. Otherwise, please submit your proposal before October 1st, 2025, to:
Anna Brattström, Professor of Entrepreneurship, at [email protected]
Keith Millican, Director of Enterprise, at [email protected]
