Wednesdays, 7:00 - 8:50 pm (PT) • 8 weeks • April 10 – May 29
Join us on campus or online!
This fast-paced entrepreneurship course is designed to be a highly collaborative experience in which the class works together to refine startup ideas and make them launch-ready in just eight weeks.
Based on the lean startup methodology developed by Eric Ries and Steve Blank, the course will look at such startup issues as product/market fit and developing a minimum viable product that can be rapidly iterated upon for success. We’ll also dive deeply into the operational details of the entire startup process, from legal structures to financial models, along with financing options such as venture capital, angel capital, and impact capital. The course will culminate with “pitch night,” when students will have the opportunity to present to Silicon Valley executives and investors who will give feedback and offer coaching.
Whether your idea is still only a sketch on a napkin or already attracts customers, or whether you are working on a tech startup, a family business, or a social venture, the goal is for you to leave the course with an actionable business plan for a sustainable enterprise.
This is the first course of the two-course series on startups. The second course, BUS 219: “Startup Escape Velocity: From Early Idea to Mainstream Success,” builds upon the content covered in the first course. However, each course can be taken independently as well. Students can choose to attend this course on campus or online. Sign up for Section H if you think you might attend class on the Stanford campus at least once. There is no commitment—you can still choose to attend via Zoom for any session. Sign up for Section Z if you know you will exclusively attend via Zoom.Based on the lean startup methodology developed by Eric Ries and Steve Blank, the course will look at such startup issues as product/market fit and developing a minimum viable product that can be rapidly iterated upon for success. We’ll also dive deeply into the operational details of the entire startup process, from legal structures to financial models, along with financing options such as venture capital, angel capital, and impact capital. The course will culminate with “pitch night,” when students will have the opportunity to present to Silicon Valley executives and investors who will give feedback and offer coaching.
Whether your idea is still only a sketch on a napkin or already attracts customers, or whether you are working on a tech startup, a family business, or a social venture, the goal is for you to leave the course with an actionable business plan for a sustainable enterprise.
| SECTION H: Register for On-Campus Course » |
SECTION Z: Register for Online Course » |
Course Instructor
Bret WatersSilicon Valley Investor; Entrepreneur
Bret Waters has founded three venture-funded startup companies, built teams, and run the companies through successful exits. He is a former member of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education Advisory Council. He works with social entrepreneurs from around the world at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and is the author of a new book, The Launch Path: Getting from a Startup Idea to a Launch-Ready Venture. Waters received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.