Facilitating IvenTUre 2025: Creativity, Empathy & Entrepreneurship at DTU

Jun 3

In May 2025, I had the absolute pleasure of delivering the first week of the IvenTUre Student Entrepreneur Accelerator at Dublin Technical University — a dynamic programme that supports students from access level through to PhD. Over the course of three weeks, participants are immersed in entrepreneurial thinking and business development, guided by expert coaches and industry mentors.

My role was to lead the opening week, laying the foundations for the journey ahead by introducing key themes such as design thinking, empathy, and problem validation. Working with around 25 students, we explored how to truly understand user needs and begin shaping solutions that are meaningful, relevant, and user-driven.

Using a Double Diamond design sprint process, we moved through a range of creative and strategic tools — from defining challenges and stakeholder mapping, to empathy interviews, values definition, ideation, and storytelling. By the end of the week, students were pitching their ideas to a panel of professional mentors and coaches with confidence and clarity.

Here’s what some of the students had to say:

What the students said:

Thank you so much, Becky! It was genuinely inspiring to work with you. Your energy, creativity, and encouragement made this week incredibly memorable. I’ve learned so much from your approach, and I’m really excited to keep building on everything we explored!
A huge thank you to Becky Hatchett for guiding us through the first steps, your support genuinely made this week feel less scary and way more exciting.
On the move!
A big thank you to Becky Hatchett, who took the time to walk me through the art of our pitch - from flow and structure to the subtle details that make a presentation truly resonate. Her guidance added so much clarity to how we tell our story.
Huge thanks to our expert trainer Becky Hatchett for leading such impactful sessions.
So greatful to have crossed paths with you Becky. You are truly irreplaceable. Wouldn't have wanted to start this off without you. Hope to see you soon.
I wished they taught us this on our PHD!

It was an incredible week full of challenges, creativity, courage, and connection — and I’m so proud of the work these students achieved in just a few days. IvenTUre is a great example of how early-stage entrepreneurial education can be both transformative and fun when rooted in empathy, creativity, and collaboration.