BUS 189 — Enterprise SaaS Startups: The Ride from Inception to Fundraise
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Arpit Goel
Date(s): Apr 9—May 28
Class Recording Available: No
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $555
Refund Deadline: Apr 11
Unit(s): 1
Enrollment Limit: 40
Status: Closed
Quarter: Spring
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 6:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Apr 9—May 28
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $555
Refund Deadline: Apr 11
Instructor(s): Arpit Goel
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 40
Recording Available: No
Status: Closed
There's a common misperception among startups that the most difficult part of securing funding is the idea. In fact, what often determines the outcome is a company's mastery of product/market fit (PMF), a critically important variable that determines the success of a series A funding round. This course provides practical lessons for first-time entrepreneurs in the enterprise SaaS space who are challenged with first-round fundraising. Students can learn and practice navigating the startup journey while gaining valuable new skills, including:
- Assessing and sizing the market opportunity
- Conceptualizing a minimum viable product
- Validating solution and product/market
- Creating a "fundable" pitch deck
- Selecting and sizing the market
- Building and testing customer feedback playbooks
- Nailing down a minimum viable product
- Creating a fundraising pitch presentation
ARPIT GOEL
Startup Advisor; Angel Investor; Former Vice President of Product, Palo Alto Networks; Founder and Former CEO, Gamma.AI
Arpit Goel is an entrepreneur, mentor, and investor based in Silicon Valley. He founded Gamma.AI, the ML-powered cloud data security company, which was acquired by Palo Alto Networks within two years of founding. Passionate about helping entrepreneurs unlock their full potential, Goel actively advises and invests in early-stage companies. He received a PhD in operations research and an MS in science, management, and engineering from Stanford. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.