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The Crucible is an entrepreneurship programme for DMU graduates who have an idea, product or service and require support to turn it into a business.

The programme helps a number of entrepreneurial individuals each year turn an idea or product concept into a business reality. .

Since its launch seven years ago, The Crucible has helped more than 80 DMU final year students, graduates and alumni to launch or grow their businesses in fields as diverse as gamification, digital marketing, sustainable fashion and artisan design. Their work has featured in Vogue, on the BBC, and is testament to the entrepreneurial spirit that DMU fosters.

SMEs can also join on Crucible masterclasses, which are run over two days every month throughout the programme.

  1. Contact the Crucible Project team

    DMU's Director of MBA Programmes Percy Emmett is always on hand to answer your questions and talk about your next big business idea, or the opportunities on offer with the Crucible. Please email your questions to crucible@dmu.ac.uk.
  2. Get involved – become a mentor

    The Crucible is always on the lookout for people interested in becoming one of our Crucible mentors. Mentors invest their time by sharing their experiences and knowledge to inspire members to succeed. Mentors aren't professional business advisors and aren't expected to be. They are knowledgeable professionals with experience in a specific industry. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please email crucible@dmu.ac.uk.
  3. Crucible masterclasses

    Crucible is now offering masterclasses in business essentials including marketing, finance, intellectual property law, copywriting and growth management.

    Each session is delivered by a businessperson who is an expert in their area, and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.

    Every session has 10 places available to entrepreneurs and the business community. The sessions all take place over one or two days and are delivered to SMEs at a small cost - but places are limited. If you can’t make it to the sessions, we ask you let us know 48 hours in advance so we are able to open it up to people on the waitlist.

    Upcoming masterclasses are:

    Marketing & Social Media – 23 and 24 November Innovation Centre, DMU

    Day 1: Creating a marketing strategy that you can actually understand AND implement.  Day 2: How to create online content that really generates leads! (Covering social media and blogging).

    Intellectual Property – 14 and 15 December Innovation Centre, DMU

    Day 1 – Intellectual Property - The fundamentals This course will provide you with the skills to identify and recognise the Intellectual Property in your business, including Patents, Trade Marks, Copyright and Designs. By the end of the course you’ll have an action plan in place for obtaining protection (where available) and how to keep records for any unregistered rights.

    Day 2 – Intellectual Property - Exploiting your assets Following on from IP fundamentals you will know what assets your business has or plans to have in the future. During this course we will look at the options available to you to exploit those assets, by way of licencing or selling them to third parties; along with important information you need to know when considering such options.  

    Resilience in Business Part 2 – 11 January Innovation Centre, DMU

    A intensive fast track to develop the confidence to proceed alongside the resilience to manage the inevitable change which comes with setting up and running a new business.

    Project Management Part 2 – 12 January Innovation Centre, DMU

    A comprehensive guide to business financial management. During this part of the course we will provide you with the tools to maximise the financial success of your business.

    The Art of Copywriting – 25 and 26 January Innovation Centre, DMU

    Tap into the power of persuasive writing. How do you write powerful marketing copy for your business? Great copy, used well, can help sell products/services more effectively, talk to customers more persuasively and make the brand message more enticing. Come and discover a whole range of hints, tips and ideas for crafting more compelling words.

    Kangaroo UK- Web Design and UX – 8 and 9 February Innovation Centre, DMU

    You will learn numerous skills to equip you to create a great website for your business. With your customer in mind, you'll use relevant software and create a site map with user experience in mind, building your website to be launch ready.

    If you’d like further information on Crucible, masterclasses, contact crucible@dmu.ac.uk.

How DMU's Crucible Project helped Lead Balloon turn their idea into a business

Hear from a Crucible mentor

We caught up with Gillian from InspiringWords at her recent copywriting workshop, offered for free as part of The Crucible.

Embrace change

Benefit from change workshops, teaching businesses to harness change to reach new highs.

Branding and logos masterclass

Hear from Cristian Zuzunaga at his Crucible session, where he shared expertise on branding and logo design.

Alison's Going for Growth masterclass

We caught up with Alison from Think D Ltd (thinkd.co.uk) at her recent Crucible masterclass, focusing on business growth and supporting entrepreneurs