Entrepreneurship (ENTR)

Venture Capital (VC) is designed to finance rapid-growth, scalable start-ups. Students explore risk-laden investments in entrepreneurial and innovative firms. Students investigate value propositions, financing options, and write investment memos for clean tech, life sciences, and ICT start-ups. Lectures are supplemented with visits by guest VCs, entrepreneurs, and local living cases.

Students explore the risks associated with entrepreneurial firms by managing a venture fund and making investments in innovative start-ups with sustainable objectives. Students raise fund capital, conduct due diligence, and assess the innovative capacity of companies. A highly applied course, students are also mentored by venture capitalists in class.

Students explore the nature of entrepreneurship, theories of entrepreneurship, characteristics and behaviors of entrepreneurs, the entrepreneur as catalyst for economic activity, application of the concepts of entrepreneurship to public and non-profit enterprises, both large and small, and entrepreneurship in developing and developed economies.

Students use up-to-date theoretical and practical know-how on social and sustainable entrepreneurship, and work with local, regional, or international social entrepreneurs and community players. Students have the opportunity to gain a strong knowledge of social and sustainable entrepreneurship, including the ability to develop entrepreneurial solutions to wicked problems.

Students are led through the development of the major elements required for a business plan for a new venture, as well as developing an appreciation for new venture growth in the economy. As a planning and financing tool, the business plan outlines in detail and specifically finance, management and the overall feasibility of a possible new venture. Attention is given to customizing the plan to specific requirements of different financing (e.g., venture capital, bank finance, angel investors).

Students work with a small business owner/manager to identify a small business problem, to develop a workable solution to the problem, and to implement that solution.

Students explore the dynamics of family-owned businesses which have problems peculiar to its family orientation. This course would cover issues such as: income vs. inheritance, management and promotion, bringing non-family resources to the firm, harvest and sell-out strategies, succession, deciding to join the family firm, establishing credibility as a daughter or son, stages of family business growth, and strategic planning.