BUS 296 — Product-Market Fit: From Idea to Real-World Adoption
Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): Karthik Hariharan
Date(s): Jun 22—Jul 27
Class Recording Available: No
Class Meeting Day: Mondays
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 7:00—8:30 pm (PT)
Please Note: This course has a different schedule than what was previously published. The course will meet on 6 Mondays, June 22 to July 27, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT).
Tuition: $480
Refund Deadline: Jun 24
Unit(s): 0
Enrollment Limit: 45
Status: Open
Quarter: Summer
Day: Mondays
Duration: 6 weeks
Time: 7:00—8:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jun 22—Jul 27
Unit(s): 0
Tuition: $480
Refund Deadline: Jun 24
Instructor(s): Karthik Hariharan
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 45
Recording Available: No
Status: Open
Please Note: This course has a different schedule than what was previously published. The course will meet on 6 Mondays, June 22 to July 27, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT).
Product-market fit is often described as a breakthrough moment, but in practice, it is a disciplined sequence of hypotheses, tested under real constraints. This course examines how early-stage products move from an initial idea toward traction by focusing on the decisions that matter most before scale.
Students explore three foundational dimensions of product-market fit: developing deep clarity around the problem and the customer, crafting solutions that are both elegant and differentiated, and designing discovery and delivery paths that allow the product to be found, adopted, and sustained at scale. Through contemporary and classic case studies and guest lectures, participants analyze how successful teams tested assumptions, recognized false signals, and navigated these challenges across both B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2B (business-to-business) opportunities. By the end, students will have gained a first-principles understanding for diagnosing product-market fit and a structured way to apply it to their own product ideas, startups, or innovation efforts within larger organizations.
Students explore three foundational dimensions of product-market fit: developing deep clarity around the problem and the customer, crafting solutions that are both elegant and differentiated, and designing discovery and delivery paths that allow the product to be found, adopted, and sustained at scale. Through contemporary and classic case studies and guest lectures, participants analyze how successful teams tested assumptions, recognized false signals, and navigated these challenges across both B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2B (business-to-business) opportunities. By the end, students will have gained a first-principles understanding for diagnosing product-market fit and a structured way to apply it to their own product ideas, startups, or innovation efforts within larger organizations.
KARTHIK HARIHARAN
Advisor and Entrepreneur
Karthik Hariharan has over two decades of experience in business strategy and execution, product management, go-to-market partnerships, and strategic alliances, including with Gliimpse (acquired by Apple), EdgeSpring (acquired by Salesforce), CitySearch (acquired by Ticketmaster), the Boston Consulting Group, SAP, Cisco, and Apple. He received a BTech in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; an MS in materials science from Northwestern; and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, where he received the Dean's Service Award for outstanding contribution to Kellogg. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.