Professional Development Workshop

October – November 2021; All sessions: 9 a.m. – Noon ET

Week 1: October 22 & 23

BASICS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • What is Entrepreneurship; Creativity; Innovation
  • Problem-Solution-Problem Cycle
  • Entrepreneurship Process
  • Entrepreneurship Models
  • Exercises, Projects, Presentations

Week 2: October 29 & 30

BUSINESS MODEL BREAKDOWN

  • Business Model, Canvas and Basic Building Blocks
  • Value Proposition Canvas

BUSINESS MODEL DEVELOPMENT

  • Lean Launchpad
  • Hypothesis Testing and Experiment Designs
  • Minimal Viable Product
  • Design Thinking Process
  • Customer Interview Process
  • Class Exercise and Videos

BUSINESS MODEL EVOLUTION

  • Fatal mistakes in Business model development
  • Diversity of Business Models
  • Blue Ocean—New Value Curve
  • Class Exercise and Videos

Week 3: November 5 & 6

CUSTOMER DELIVERY, MARKET RESEARCH, COMPETITION

  • Customer Discovery; interviewing and Surveying
  • Customer Persona
  • Defining Opportunity & Market Sustainability
  • Competition: Understanding and Analyzing
  • Exercises, Presentations

Week 4: November 12 & 13

FINANCING A VENTURE

  • Basics of Accounting and Finance
  • Financial Projections
  • Valuation Techniques
  • Funding Sources and Stages
  • Founding Team Equity and Compensation
  • Class Exercises, Assignments

Week 5: November 19 & 20

VENTURE IMPLEMENTATION: TEAM, RESOURCES, INVESTMENT

  • The Planning Process – Business & Implementation Plans
  • Building a Team
  • Operational Funding Concepts
  • Venture Pitch

ENTREPRENEURSHIP LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

  • Business Ethics
  • Leadership Development & Unifying a Team
  • Advisory Board & Board of Directors

VENTURE HARVESTING / SUSTAINABILITY

  • Growth Strategy Options: Product/Market Development

ENTREPRENEURSHIP ECOSYSTEM

  • Venture Idea Contest
  • Center, Incubator, and Accelerator
  • Venture Investments
  • Leveraging the Ecosystem