About this Event
MentorMind x VirWave Workshop
In collaboration with UCL EIE Society, supporting student entrepreneurship across campus.
Founder Under Pressure: The Emotional Reality for Student Founders
Date: Wednesday 4 March 2026
Time: 6:00 PM — 8:00 PM
Location: UCL BaseKX, 103c Camley St, London N1C 4PF
Entry: Please show your booking confirmation to reception
👥 For aspiring student founders, future innovators, and curious minds
🎟 Free | Registration required
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Startup culture talks a lot about hustle, confidence, and success, but far less about the emotional reality of building something from scratch.
This interactive workshop creates space for an honest conversation about stress, self-doubt, overwhelm, setbacks, fear of failure, and resilience — while introducing practical ways student founders can build mental fitness alongside their ideas.
Through real founder stories, discussion, and grounding exercises, we’ll explore how to stay centred under pressure, navigate uncertainty, and learn how to pivot when things don’t go to plan — because mental grounding isn’t a weakness, it’s a founder skill.
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Keynote Speaker
Houtan Froushan
Director, UCL EdTech Labs
Houtan will open the evening with reflections on the realities of building and scaling ventures within the EdTech ecosystem. Drawing on his experience supporting early-stage founders, he will share insights on resilience, leadership under pressure, and the mindset required to navigate uncertainty and build ventures that endure beyond the “hustle” narrative.
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What to expect
• A reality check on the myth vs reality of founder life
• Insights into the mental stages of the founder journey (from idea to pivots)
• Simple grounding techniques used by founders, leaders, and high-performance teams
• A short panel discussion with student founders from MentorMind and VirWave
• Small-group breakout conversations and practical exercises
• Practical tools you can use before pitches, after rejections, or during moments of overwhelm
• 🤝 Networking opportunities to connect with fellow students, entrepreneurs, and members of the UCL innovation ecosystem
This session blends conversation + practical exercises — no prior experience needed.
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You’ll leave with
• A clearer understanding of the emotional side of entrepreneurship
• Practical grounding tools to manage stress and pressure
• Reassurance that uncertainty doesn’t mean failure — it means growth
• A reminder that rest, support, and pausing are strategies, not weaknesses
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Panel speakers
Tina (MentorMind — UCL EdTech Labs)
Kate (VirWave — UCL Hatchery)
— student founders sharing their journeys, challenges, pivots, and strategies.
📸 Photos may be taken during the session.
“You don’t have to be calm to start — but learning to ground yourself helps you continue.”
Note: While EIE membership is NOT required to attend this event, tickets will be checked on the day at reception❗
- Open to Non-UCL and General Public
Introducing our speakers!
— Director of UCL EdTech Labs
Houtan Froushan is the visionary leader behind UCL EdTech Labs, University College London’s education technology accelerator that supports early-stage founders to build impactful, evidence-informed ventures in the education space. With a background in teaching, publishing, and ecosystem-building, Houtan has dedicated his career to nurturing edtech innovation, coaching hundreds of teams and helping them clarify their mission, sharpen their storytelling, and navigate early-stage growth challenges.
At UCL EdTech Labs, Houtan works at the intersection of education, research, and entrepreneurship — bringing together founders, educators, investors, and policymakers to turn ambitious ideas into sustainable solutions. His focus on resilience, clarity of purpose, and strategic momentum reflects his belief that effective founders are not only technically capable but deeply grounded in their approach to leadership and impact.
— CEO of MentorMind Education, UCL EdTech Labs Autumn Cohort
As the Founder & CEO of MentorMind Education, Tina Wang is building an AI-powered learning and wellbeing platform designed to help secondary students, teachers, and school leaders navigate learning, workload, and decision-making more effectively. MentorMind brings together personalised revision, wellbeing insights, and school-level analytics into one connected ecosystem — supporting schools to move from fragmented tools to timely, human-centred intervention. This work is shaped by her background as an international educator and middle leader, alongside her postgraduate studies in Educational Leadership at UCL.
Through real founder experiences, honest reflection, and practical discussion, Tina shares what it means to build under pressure — and why clarity, grounding, and support matter just as much as strategy when creating something that lasts.
— CEO of VirWave, UCL Hatchery Autumn Cohort
As the Founder & CEO of VirWave, Kate Julia is building a digital wellbeing platform focused on breathing, emotional regulation, and intentional connection for complex, real-world lives.
What began as a personal nervous-system tool has evolved into a research-informed platform used by neurodivergent users, families, and educators across the UK and U.S. VirWave delivers personalised regulation journeys grounded in emotional input, lived experience, and user context — supporting people to regulate, reflect, and reconnect in moments of real stress, not just calm ones.
Through real founder stories, discussion, and grounding practices, Kate explores how mental fitness and regulation support resilience under pressure — because grounding isn’t a luxury, it’s a skill for navigating high-stakes, fast-moving lives.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
UCL BaseKX, 103c Camley Street, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
