Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
Learning Objectives
- To develop an analytical framework for evaluating new business opportunities.
- To review some of the special operating problems of new enterprises including the problems of survival in the early years, maintaining growth in an orderly fashion, and maintaining momentum as the firm approaches maturity. This involves developing and integrating an understanding of the accounting, finance, marketing, operations and management issues that start-ups face.
- To identify the unique entrepreneurial challenges faced by start-ups in high-technology sectors of the economy – these include infotech, biotech and cleantech. This involves reviewing the salient characteristics of these sectors, identifying the key strategic issues associated with them and then providing tools/frameworks to address these challenges.
- To provide an opportunity for students to evaluate their own abilities and goals in regard to small business opportunities. A career in one's own business has both advantages and disadvantages.
Courses
1. Small Business Entrepreneurship (3 units). Includes developing a business plan and presenting to a panel of Silicon Valley experts.
2. Business Plan Investor Pitch Practicum (1 unit)
3. Emerging Company Finance (3 units)
4. A minimum of 8 units from electives that afford deep immersion in the areas of new venture creation and entrepreneurship, as practiced in Silicon Valley. Many of these represent combinations of existing courses to achieve an entrepreneurship focus.
Examples
a) Cashflow Management for Entrepreneurs
b) Corporate Finance for Entrepreneurs
c) Entrepreneurial Marketing
d) New Product Innovation (MKTG 572)
e) Internet and B2B Marketing
f) Operations/IS Management for Entrepreneurs
g) Social Entrepreneurship
h) Technology Entrepreneurship
i) Global innovation and entrepreneurship (1 unit)
