Creating Your Start-Up Virtual: Design & Innovation Program Summer 2021 June/July 8-Week

In this course, we will take a deep dive into the world of Start-Ups and you will have the opportunity to plan your very own. We will look at the fundamentals of idea generation, the challenges of starting a business, the development of critical business plans, the ways of obtaining financing, and the different strategies to be implemented in order to develop and market a new product or service.

This course starts with an overview of how successful business ideas are developed and what initial challenges are faced by entrepreneurs. We then shift into planning mode, where we discuss how to develop marketing, organizational, financial, and fundraising plans for a new venture. Throughout these discussions, you are ex-posed to case studies and different business pitches (such as those on Shark Tank) which we examine for potential pros and cons.

Classes incorporate experiential learning as you work to design and test a business venture of your choice, applying the concepts you have learned and tackling the challenges you encounter. You will also present your own business pitch and, in turn, take on the role of a Venture Capitalist, giving feedback on your colleagues' pitches and deciding which ones to invest in.

This course may appeal to business and non-business majors alike.