Churchill Ideas Mash
13 – 15 March 2024
Calling all Arts, Humanities and STEM enthusiasts – join Churchill Ideas Mash! New for 2024!
This interdisciplinary problem solving and pitching event is all about harnessing the skills of each team member to solve real-world challenges and win prizes!
- Come yourself, or with a friend, no team needed (1 sign-up per person needed!)
- Bring your own idea or choose from the Ideas Mash Menu 🙂
- Meals included throughout!!
Ideas Mash fits in with the biennial Churchill Enterprise Competition which aims to support the entrepreneurial skills of current students and alumni, developing leaders of the future.
Apply here! Applications will be assessed as you put them in, so get yours in ASAP!
Churchill Ideas Mash 2024 – Programme
13/3/2024
- 6-7 pm  – Club room – Launch and mini pitches of ideas: Team formation, Select an idea you want to work on from the Ideas Mash Menu
- 7:30 pm Formal dinner, common table (free): discuss projects and choose which you want to work on
14/3/2024
- 10:00 – Club room – Ideation – with Rachel
- 10:30 – 12:00 (60-90 minutes) – Club room –Â How to spot a good idea – with Angel investor and serial start up supporter, Malcolm Brinded.
- 12:00-14:00 – Free lunch, give your name at the till in Hall – go with your team!
- Flexible project time & check in with mentors – Club room available, but can work wherever you like
15/3/2024
- 12:00-13:30Â – Club room –Â Meet an expert: Mentoring and networking with experts from a variety of career paths
- 13:30-14:30 Networking lunch – Free lunch, give your name at the till in Hall. All Ideas mash supporters, project proposers and sponsors invited
- 3-5 pm – Club room –Â Pitching (5 mins per team plus Q&A), Networking reception
Ideas Mash Menu
See the Ideas Mash menu (google doc)
Check back here as more projects will be added as they are confirmed!
You can also submit your own idea if you would like a team to work on it… just fill in the google form. This can be a business idea, invention or anything you find inspiring and need some help to get off the ground 🙂
Prizes and Judging
There will be cash prizes!
- £1000 – Best overall
- £500 – Best pitch
- £500 – Best use of team diversity
Check back here for judges to be confirmed for 2024
Get involved – Alumni/Mentors/Companies/Fellows
Ideas Mash 2024 aims to encourage student cross-disciplinary creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
There are lots of ways you can get involved!
Sign up – google form – Alumni/Mentors/Companies
1. Propose a challenge
Cross-disciplinary student teams will tackle real world problems, develop and pitch their ideas for possible solutions. Do you have a challenge that your field or company is facing?
We are looking for challenges to put on the Ideas Mash menu. These should be simple to articulate and have scope that a motivated student team could get their teeth into in a few days.
While the initial scope for projects is to work on during the event itself, we will be encouraging teams to keep in touch with their project partners and potentially take their ideas further!
Those proposing challenges are invited to the launch (optional). If you are local, this is a great way to get to meet the students taking part and get to know about them and their projects. The Launch is on 13/3, 6pm, Sixties room, Churchill College , followed by formal dinner.
2. Mentor a student team
We are looking for mentors to share their insight with student teams in business/enterprise/commercialisation/design/problem solving. With the huge range of projects, your experience will be valuable in any of these areas and more! We are hoping that through meeting mentors will open a window to the huge variety of career paths out there!
Mentoring can be done in 2 ways:
- Flexibly online: 14-15th March.Â
- In-person: visit for the morning on 15th March to meet student teams in real life. This will be followed by a networking lunch and the final pitching competition.
3. Attend the final Pitching Competition
15/3/2024, 3-5pm, Sixties room, Churchill College – All are welcome!
