Concentration Coordinator: Jennifer Woolley (Management)

Leveraging SCU's location and strong alumni presence in Silicon Valley, this concentration examines the tools needed to develop ideas into businesses and to stimulate entrepreneurial activities in existing mature businesses.

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.

Course options include:

• Entrepreneurial Opportunities and Innovation
• Venture Capital Essentials
• Go-To-Market Strategy
• Innovation in Silicon Valley
• Product Management: Concept to Execution

Current students: full list of eligible electives can be found in the Graduate Business Bulletin.