Industry leaders to teach entrepreneurship classes this winter

This winter, the project-based entrepreneurship and innovation classes listed below will be taught by seasoned startup leaders. For a full list of entrepreneurship and innovation courses, click herePriority registration for winter classes opens Oct. 30. 

Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovation – Special Section at TechTown
Course listed as EI 5000 / EI 7000; must sign up for Tuesday section

This special section will be taught at TechTown, Detroit's entrepreneurship hub offering programs and services helping startup, emerging and established companies develop, launch and grow. Your instructors will be Regina Ann Campbell, managing director, place-based entrepreneurship and Paul Riser, managing director, tech-based entrepreneurship. Experience the range of entrepreneurial activities occurring and connect with the TechTown network of professionals and entrepreneurs as you develop greater depth and breadth of knowledge of what it takes to create and launch a startup.

Students will:

  • Gain an understanding of the types of entrepreneurship and innovation, factors impacting success, and pitfalls to be avoided
  • Develop business model creation skills through project-based learning designed to developing a value proposition, and achieve optimal problem-solution, product-market and business model-market fit
  • Build their own map of the startup ecosystem, consisting of the founders, funders, advisors and the customers they serve

Special Topics: Entrepreneurial Studies of Innovation
Course listed as EI 5800 / EI 7800 / MGT 7700

This project-based course engages student teams to develop and apply the skills necessary to develop a game-changing value proposition. Innovations that succeed in raising capital will identify a market opportunity, validate that opportunity and apply entrepreneurial rigor in the process. Taught by special lecturer Jim Fish with some classes held at the newly opened Lear Innovation Center, this class provides the tools necessary to filter down the ideas truly capable of succeeding in a capital raise. Both Lear Corporation and Quicken Loans will present a corporate challenge providing students with the opportunity to work with these firms as they explore opportunities, validate a value proposition and address issues of feasibility. Students will also be encouraged to bring an idea-stage challenge to the class. Students will learn by doing, ultimately pitching to real investors for the chance to be funded. Guest speakers will include venture capital partners, startup-funded CEOs, corporate officers and successful entrepreneurs. 

This course is designed for:

  • Entrepreneurial students who wish to start their own business or experience the startup ecosystem
  • Creative students who wish to learn how to create value inside an existing entity
  • Students targeting positions in venture capital and private equity firms

Startup Funding and Profitability
Course listed as EI 5200 /  EI 7200

To secure funding to support technology commercialization, founders need to understand the different types and potential sources of funding, including government agencies, foundations,  corporations, angel funds,  venture capital and private equity. Knowing when and how to secure grants, debt and equity financing can be the difference between success and failure. In winter 2018, Startup Funding and Profitability will be taught by special lecturer Edward Kim and will focus on effective strategies for technology commercialization and funding new ventures. Students will explore key issues in early-stage venture development, such as how much money can and should be raised, when it should be raised and from whom, and a how to determine a reasonable valuation of a company. Live simulation and case studies will be used, and the class will be organized into startup teams that will create business plans, including corporate formation decisions, share allocation, financial models, and capital raise preparation.

Students will gain:

  • A greater understanding of the tools every entrepreneur needs to succeed in raising capital in the tech sector
  • A wider and deeper set of finance skills, customized for early-stage company needs
  • Deeper insights into different financing options

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