En­tre­pren­eur­i­al Pro­cesses

Course content

Entrepreneurial Processes builds on the previous studio course by moving from identifying and testing value propositions to pursuing them in organizational contexts. It introduces the idea of “entrepreneurial processes”, which encompass the challenges of (i) managing people, (ii) analyzing trends and contexts, and (iii) designing deal and partnership. The “POCD”-framework (People, Opportunity, Context and Deals) provides students a big-picture analytical tool to both manage and analyze startups at different stages in their life cycle.

Among the topics covered are recognizing opportunities in context, assembling founding teams, managing team work across time and space, startup finance, equity splits, founder agreements, and venture capital.

We emphasize the skills, capabilities, and judgment needed to effectively manage entrepreneurial processes. The course takes a unique interdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship, integrating entrepreneurial history, strategy, sociology and finance. It teaches students how to imaginge opportunities, assemble resources, deal with uncertainty, and legitmize innovative ventures. It will involve both quantitative and qualitative modes of reasoning about entrepreneurial decision making. 

Students will learn through a combination of studio exercises, lectures, case discussions, and real-world applications.