Start’Ship: Celebrating Our Journey Supporting Student Entrepreneurs Across Europe
As the Start’Ship project draws to a close, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible journey we’ve shared and the lasting impact we’ve created for student entrepreneurship across Europe.
Start’Ship has brought together universities, students, and industry partners from Italy, Ireland, France, Latvia, Portugal, and Belgium to build something meaningful, a network and framework that will continue supporting aspiring entrepreneurs long after the project officially ends.
What We’ve Achieved Together
The impact of Start’Ship is best told through the energy, creativity, and dedication of everyone involved:
- Multiple hackathons across partner institutions, bringing students face-to-face with real business challenges from startup CEOs
- Hundreds of students trained through our Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme modules
- International pitch competitions showcasing the best student-led ventures, with winning teams like FlatMatch and Sage Mind 40+ demonstrating true entrepreneurial potential
- Cross-border collaboration that connected students from diverse academic backgrounds—from health sciences to e-commerce, law to marketing
Memorable Moments
Some standout moments have defined the Start’Ship experience:
The Hackathons: From Naples to Antwerp, Coimbra to Lille, students tackled challenges in health, nutrition, and longevity sectors. Teams developed solutions like DyslexiaApp, Hapillmeal (the winning project from Coimbra), and innovative approaches to personalized medicine and foodtech.
The StudentxStartup Hackathon in Naples saw 17 teams competing with support from CEOs of companies including Hank Drinks, Eyedoo, HAPPLYZ Medical, and West Health.
The Var Group Hackathon: Start’Ship students from the University of Naples Federico II competed at the international Var Group Hackathon in Rimini, ranking 4th out of 17 teams. Their project stood out for originality and creativity, showcasing how the skills developed through Start’Ship translate to success on bigger stages.
The Final Pitch Competition: Eight finalist teams presented their ventures online, demonstrating not just innovative ideas but the market understanding, problem-solving ability, and confidence they’d gained throughout the programme. The judges were genuinely impressed by the professionalism and potential on display.
Resources That Live On
While the Start’Ship project is coming to an end, the learning doesn’t have to stop.
All of our training resources remain available for students, educators, and anyone interested in fostering entrepreneurship. Click on Course Material to access the complete resource hub.
You’ll find everything from creativity workshops and business development modules to practical guides on pitching and turning ideas into viable ventures.
These materials were designed to be used and shared, so whether you’re a student exploring entrepreneurship for the first time or an educator looking to inspire the next generation, the tools are there for you.
Our partners…
This project wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment and collaborative spirit of our incredible consortium partners:
Eurasanté (lead partner), WestBIC, Commercialisation Reactor, The University of Coimbra, Artesis Plantijn University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp (AP), and The Department of Economics, Management, Institutions (DEMI) at the University of Naples Federico II.
Each partner brought unique expertise, local knowledge, and unwavering dedication to supporting student entrepreneurs in their regions.
We’re also deeply grateful to the European Union for funding this initiative through the Erasmus+ programme, to every mentor and industry expert who shared their time and insights, and to the universities and incubators that opened their doors to make our events possible.
Start’Ship has been a testament to what can be achieved when we work together across borders with a shared vision.
