SRH Haarlem University of Applied Sciences
Innovation Sprint 2

You have an idea. Now learn how to make a business out of it.

Five weeks to learn what it takes to build a viable venture around an idea worth developing.

Innovation Sprint 2: Building Scalable & Sustainable Ventures. A practical international venture-building experience: four weeks online followed by one intensive week in Haarlem.

Apply for the Sprint See how the five weeks work

Not ready to apply? Join a 30-minute info session, next one Wednesday 4 November, 18:00 CET. Register

Two participants working together at Innovation Sprint 1 in Haarlem
Sprint 1 is not requiredBring an idea worth developing and start here.
Is this for me?

Have an idea you want to take further?

This is not another university course. It is a standalone venture-building experience you do alongside your regular studies or work.

It is for you if you are

  • a current university student
  • a recent graduate
  • a young professional
  • an aspiring founder or innovator
  • developing a commercial, social or other venture idea

You do not need

  • a finished business plan
  • a registered company
  • customers or revenue
  • prior entrepreneurship experience
  • Sprint 1

What to bring

  • a clear problem or opportunity
  • a proposed solution or concept
  • a potential customer, user or beneficiary in mind
  • some evidence behind the idea: experience, observation, research, conversations or early testing
The Venture Track

Build it over five weeks.

A journey with checkpoints. You move your idea forward step by step, then bring it all together in Haarlem.

  1. GO
    Start

    Bring an idea worth developing

  2. 1
    Mon 25 Jan

    Refine the venture proposition

  3. 2
    Mon 1 Feb

    Build the business model

  4. 3
    Mon 8 Feb

    Challenge assumptions and economics

  5. 4
    Mon 15 Feb

    Sustainability, execution and scale

  6. HRLM
    22 to 26 Feb

    Haarlem Sprint Week

  7. Finish

    Pitch and defend

Your idea

You apply the venture-building tools to your own idea throughout the five weeks.

A team venture

In parallel, you work in an international team to develop, challenge and defend a shared venture proposition.

What you will learn to do

Learn what it takes to move from idea to venture.

  1. Reconfirm the problem and customer, then refine the value proposition
  2. Develop and challenge a business or venture model
  3. Understand basic revenue, value-capture and economic logic
  4. Identify the assumptions and risks that matter most
  5. Test selected key assumptions using evidence
  6. Consider resources, capabilities and partners
  7. Examine sustainability as part of venture strategy
  8. Examine growth and scalability
  9. Improve the venture proposition using evidence and feedback
  10. Develop and defend a final venture pitch and execution roadmap
How the Sprint works

Active and applied, from the first evening.

Weeks 1 to 4
Online

Monday evenings, 18:00 to 20:00 CET25 January, 1, 8 and 15 February 2027. Short inputs, practical tools, development work and testing between sessions.

Week 5
Haarlem

Monday 22 to Friday 26 February 2027An intensive in-person week on campus in Haarlem, ending with your final pitch and defence.

Short inputsPractical toolsTesting and evidencePeer challengeFeedbackIterationFinal pitch
A wall of sticky notes from a Sprint 1 working session
Why join

More than an idea on paper.

A practical process

A structured way to work through a venture, applied to your own idea and a shared team venture.

Real challenge

Feedback from people outside your normal circle, so your thinking gets tested properly.

Something to show

Tangible outputs and a final pitch you can use in a portfolio, on your CV and in interviews.

Confidence to defend it

The ability to explain and defend a business idea. Successful participants also earn 3 ECTS.

A team and facilitator working at a table during Sprint 1 A participant pitching her team's ask during Sprint 1 Reviewers listening to a pitch at Sprint 1
The international experience

Different backgrounds. More challenge.

The Sprint brings together participants from different backgrounds and institutions. You work online together for four weeks, then meet in person for the final week in Haarlem, fifteen minutes from Amsterdam.

Different perspectives mean different assumptions, and that is exactly what makes the challenge useful.

Two participants discussing ideas during Sprint 1
Practical details

Everything in one place.

Programme
Innovation Sprint 2: Building Scalable & Sustainable Ventures
Format
4 weeks online + 1 intensive week in Haarlem
Language
English
Fee
€1,290 per participant
Recognition
3 ECTS on successful completion
Entry
Direct entry. Sprint 1 is not required.
Who can apply
Students, recent graduates and young professionals based in the EUWe are not able to provide visa support for this intake.

Key dates

  • 4 Nov, 10 Nov, 24 NovOnline info sessions, 18:00 CET
  • 30 Nov 2026Applications close
  • 11 Jan 2027Payment confirms your place
  • 25 Jan 2027First online evening (then 1, 8 and 15 Feb)
  • 22 to 26 Feb 2027Haarlem Sprint Week
Explore first

Not sure yet? Come to an info session.

A short hybrid session where we explain how the Sprint works and answer your questions. Thirty minutes, no commitment.

  • 4Nov, Wed

    18:00 CET · Room 2.2

    What the Sprint is, who it's for, and what kind of idea is enough to start with.

  • 10Nov, Tue

    18:00 CET · Room 2.3

    For anyone still deciding. We take the hard questions: is my idea developed enough, is it worth the fee, how much time will it really take.

  • 24Nov, Tue

    18:00 CET · Room 2.3

    Final session. Practical detail on the Haarlem week, what happens after you apply, and how to confirm your place.

Sessions run in English. Join us on campus (Koepelplein 1C, Haarlem) or on Zoom.

Register for a session

We'll email you the room and the Zoom link straight away.

Apply

Bring your idea.

A short application about your starting point. Not a business plan, just enough for us to see the idea and what you want to figure out.

  1. Send your applicationFive short questions about your idea and what you want to figure out.
  2. We read it and get back to youA person reads every application and replies within 3 days about fit and next steps.
  3. Confirm your placeIf you're accepted, your place is confirmed by payment by 11 January 2027.
  4. Get readyWe send pre-work and practical information before the first evening on 25 January.
Applications close on Monday 30 November 2026. The cohort is capped at 25 participants.

Apply for Sprint 2

You do not need a finished business plan or an existing company.

Questions

Good questions, straight answers.

Is this part of my normal university programme?

No. Innovation Sprint is a separate venture-building experience that you do alongside your regular studies or work. It is academically recognised, and successful participants earn 3 ECTS, but it is not positioned as another normal course within your degree.

Do I need to be a student?

No. The Sprint is for current students, recent graduates and young professionals with an idea or opportunity worth developing. For this intake we focus on people based in the EU, because we are not able to provide visa support.

Do I need Sprint 1 or a company?

Neither. Sprint 2 is fully standalone. Sprint 1 is about finding and shaping an idea worth pursuing. Sprint 2 starts with an idea worth developing and focuses on what it takes to build a viable venture around it. You also do not need a registered company, revenue or prior entrepreneurship experience.

How developed does my idea need to be?

You should be able to explain the problem or opportunity, who it affects, your current idea, and some evidence that it is worth developing. That evidence can come from experience, observation, research, conversations or early testing. You should also know what you most need to figure out.

Do I work on my own idea or a group project?

Both. You apply the venture-building tools to your own idea throughout the Sprint. In parallel, you work with an international team to develop, challenge and defend a shared venture proposition. The two reinforce each other.

What will I have at the end?

A more developed venture proposition with clearer business-model and value-creation logic, evidence and feedback on selected key assumptions, a clearer view of implementation, sustainability and scaling, tangible assessed outputs, and a final venture pitch and execution roadmap. Above all, a much clearer understanding of what would need to be true for the venture to work.

We do not promise a startup, funding or investors. This is a learning experience, not an accelerator or incubator.

What if my idea changes along the way?

That is completely fine. Learning that an assumption is wrong, narrowing the idea or changing the customer can be a good outcome.

How much time does it take?

Four online Monday evenings from 18:00 to 20:00 CET, with development work and testing in between, followed by one full intensive week in Haarlem from Monday 22 to Friday 26 February 2027. We go through the realistic weekly workload in the info session on 10 November.

Why €1,290?

You are not paying for another lecture course. You are paying for an intensive venture-building experience: a structured five-week process, practical work on your own idea and a team venture, feedback and challenge, the Haarlem week, and outputs you can take forward. The 3 ECTS are an added benefit.

It is a significant investment, so if you're unsure whether it is worth it for you, bring that question to an info session.

Payment, cancellation and refunds

The fee is paid in one instalment, and payment confirms your place. You get access to the learning platform once payment is confirmed. You have a 14-day cooling-off period after registering, as long as the programme has not started.

If you withdraw after that, this is the part SRH Haarlem keeps:

10% + €200more than 2 weeks before the start
20% + €200less than 2 weeks before the start
50% + €200the day before or the day of the start
100%after the programme has started

€200 is an administration fee. Withdrawals go through a formal deregistration form from our Finance team, which you can request at finance@srh-haarlem.com. Refunds go back to the original bank account.

Is accommodation or travel included?

We are still confirming the practical package for the Haarlem week and will publish it here as soon as it is final. If it affects your decision, ask us in an info session.

Bring an idea worth developing. Learn what it takes to build a viable venture around it.

You do not need a finished business plan or an existing company. You need an idea worth developing, some evidence behind it, and the willingness to test your thinking.

Apply for the SprintJoin an info session
Info sessionApply