COHORT 1 · LIVE CHALLENGES

Real companies. Live challenges. Tangible impact.

You won't be doing homework. You'll be solving live business challenges for two startups, and building a portfolio you can show the world.

2live startup challenges
6weeks to deliver
100%real-world stakes
💳
Challenge 1

Launch a fintech with Gemba

The company

Gemba ge.mba is a DIFC-based fintech building the "invisible banking layer", infrastructure that lets any company embed full banking and payments into their product. No banking license. No compliance team. You can build a working fintech in just 7 minutes. Gemba is a noted alumnus of the JPMorgan Chase FinTech Forward Programme, an accelerator providing executive mentorship and network access to early-stage fintechs.

Your mission

Put Gemba on the map. Use their AI-powered banking stack to launch your own fintech product, build a PR engine that lands press coverage, and convert that momentum into real signups.

What you'll do

📰
Make headlines: Design and run an organic PR campaign that gets Gemba noticed
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Find the story: Create newsworthy angles and content journalists actually want to cover
Build a fintech: Use Gemba's platform to build and launch your own fintech product
📱
Document everything: Share your journey on social media as it happens
Skills you'll gain:PR & Media StrategyFintech FundamentalsProduct LaunchContent Creation
🎨
Challenge 2

Fuel a startup's growth with Vvanta

The company

Vvanta vvanta.ai is an AI-powered creative and strategy platform that helps enterprises design and launch marketing campaigns with AI. Vvanta already works with the likes of Almarai and other large enterprises, and is fundraising right now, with your work feeding directly into their growth story.

Your mission

Land 3 enterprise clients. Leverage Vvanta's AI creative stack to deliver campaigns they actually use, and bring a fresh Gen Z and Gen Alpha lens to work that ships.

What you'll do

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Build the waitlist: Design a campaign that gets early users signing up for Vvanta
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Master the AI tools: Get hands-on with Vvanta's platform to create professional marketing collateral
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Deliver for clients: Produce campaign assets that actual businesses will use
Put a new spin on creativity: Apply Gen Z and Gen Alpha taste to your work
Skills you'll gain:AI Marketing ToolsGrowth StrategyCampaign DesignClient Delivery
HOW IT WORKS

How challenges work

1

Meet the founders

Hear the challenge directly from the companies

2

Team up

Work in small teams with your mentors

3

Build & launch

Execute your campaign and products over 6 weeks

4

Pitch your results

Present your impact to founders and mentors at Demo Day

YOUR PORTFOLIO STARTS HERE

Ready to work on something real?

Your portfolio starts here, not with a certificate, but with results.