Student Venture Accelerator 2

Catalog description

In this course, students will deepen their understanding of the resources, strategies and management skills required to launch a new business — with a goal of creating a profitable venture that they can pursue well beyond the end of the course. Working out of the Lepage Center’s Student Venture Incubator, students will have the opportunity to take an idea to fruition by undertaking customer interviews to test their ideas, determine product-market fit and obtain their first paying customers. Throughout this course, student teams will work on their new ventures by improving the business model and business strategy; developing financial, marketing, sales and hiring plans; finalizing founding documents and policies; refining charts of accounts; and preparing for a board meeting simulation. To support the launch of each new venture, the professor, a team of mentors that includes entrepreneurs/executives-in-residence, and the Lepage Center’s expert network will provide coaching, referrals and guidance that will be customized to the unique challenges facing each startup.