A new edition of iXperiment, the start-up programme designed for high-school students in Romania, will take place from 24 February to 5 May at the Octavian Goga County Library in Cluj-Napoca.

The start-up accelerator is an initiative supported by Banca Transilvania, connecting the education system with the private sector. It seeks to identify the most creative and innovative high-school students who have a business idea and want to turn it into reality. Start-up ideas selected through the programme should address societal challenges, improve people’s lives and create the right environment for innovation.

Students will have the chance to work with leading entrepreneurs from Romania and abroad: Julian Padurariu - Pony Car Sharing; George Deriso - Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Colorado; Dragos Petrescu – City Grill; Mihaela Rus - Vitrina Advertising; Mihai Simiuc - Frufru; Octavian Costache - Spring Inc., Google; Radu Lupas - Salad Box. They will also be able to apply the new knowledge gained during the programme (entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, marketing, finance, etc.) to launch their own businesses, moving through the following stages: Teambuilding iXperiment & Ideate (24-25 February); Innovate (10-11 March); Initiate (24-25 March); Iterate (7-8 April); iXperiment Competition (5 May).

The programme will conclude with a competition, where The iXperiment 2017 Startup will be selected. The winner will receive a scholarship and take part in the accelerator at Watson in Boulder, Colorado.

Registration and participation in iXperiment is free for high-school students. The application deadline is 20 February this year, and the application form is available here.