Curriculum Overview

UNIT 1 - IDEATION

This unit introduces students to what a startup is and how to develop a Business Model Canvas. Students start to develop ideas and form teams based on common interests. Students begin to refine and develop their idea by going through the process of competitive analysis and identifying the value proposition customers will find meaningful.

UNIT 2 - CUSTOMER DISCOVERY

Students learn the importance of customer feedback in the business development cycle. They create detailed customer segment profiles to guide business choices They begin to test some of the assumptions developed on their business canvas by completing problem and solution interviews. They will be matched with mentors, receive feedback and define their mentor student relationship.

UNIT 3 - CUSTOMER CONNECTIONS

Students outline paths to reach customers including physical channels and virtual channels. This unit defines various ways to connect with customers like messaging and specific marketing tactics to gain awareness with early customers. Teams create positioning statements for their solution that guides how they communicate to customers and what to say to influence customers to purchase.

UNIT 4 - FINANCES

This unit covers the fundamentals on how to use a financial model to determine the financial health of a business. Students select a revenue model and add inputs, such as cost estimates to produce their good or service. The unit concludes with a teams explaining their model, why that model is best, and how they came to the numbers within​.

UNIT 5 - BUILDING YOUR MVP

Students develop an abbreviated prototype of their business to test the efficacy of their idea before bringing it to full scale. This is called the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Each team presents their MVP and funding proposal to the Board of Advisors who provides valuable feedback and possibly a small amount of funding to launch the MVP.

UNIT 6 - LEGAL & MVP EXPERIMENT

The MVP experimentation starts now and continues through the end of semester. Project management skills are introduced to keep teams on task and get as much marketplace data as possible. Students test and adjust their model to validate its potential.Practical legal concepts on company formation and intellectual property are introduced.

UNIT 7 - PROMOTION

Students begin building their “story” to persuade customers and potential investors. Using their latest data from MVP tests and what they’ve learned from previous units, teams identify tactics to promote their business, develop marketing and sales plans, including promotional strategies. They end the unit by developing the financial story.

UNIT 8 - PITCH YOUR STORY

The financial model is updated with refined estimates based on the MVP learning. Financial model includes growth goals and resources needed. The year culminates with teams pitching their plan to investors with the hope of winning funding to launch their idea during the summer and following year.