School of Engineering and Technology, (SET)
 
AT84.11 : Entrepreneur in Action  3(1-6)
 
Course objectives:

The objective of this course is to provide students the understandings to identify and to reach out to key stakeholders for their business idea and influence or convince them to purchase their product or service or to invest in their company. At the end of this course, students (and the start-up group) can confidently pitch their ideas to investors and have prepared all due diligence materials.
 
Learning Outcomes:
Students on completion of this course would be able to:
•      Confidently present a business plan or startup company to a 3rd party such an
investor or customer.
•      Understand how a team works together in a startup and can assign rules and
responsibilities and to communicate to 3rd parties.
•      Comfortably use the startup toolkit (cap table, term sheets, contracts and
more) provided in the previous course
•      Enter the next phase of startup development and receive money and be
incubated.
 
Pre-requisite(s):

Entrepreneurship and New Ventures and In the Mind of the Entrepreneur Parts A and B.
 
Course Outline:
I.     Preparing an investor due diligence package
1.   Understanding what documents investors need to evaluate startups
2.   Understanding the mind of the investor in evaluating statups

II.    Co-creation
1.   What is co-creation
2.   Initiating and negotiating the terms of a co-creation agreement

III.   Networking
1.   Tools for networking
2.   Getting and answer to cold call / cold email to decision maker
3.   Keeping in touch

IV.   Identifying and connecting with the ecosystem
1.   Meeting with members of the start-up ecosystem

V.    Prepare for Exit
1.   Preparing the business for valuation and exit
2.   The trade sale route
3.   The IPO/SPAC route
 
 
Learning Resources:

Textbook:

No designated textbook, but class materials and handouts will be provided.
 
Reference Books:
•     Marketing Management, 15th edition, Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller, Pearson
•     Consumer Behavior: and Marketing Strategy, 7th edition, Paul Peter and Jerry Olson, McGraw Hill
•     Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, Al Ries and Jack Trout, McGraw Hill
•     Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, Martin Lindstrom, Currency
•     Crossing the chiasm, 3rd edition, Geoffrey A. Moore
•     The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker
•     Measure What Matter, John Doerr
•     The Lean product Playbook, Dan Olsen, Wiley
•     Zero to One, Peter Thiel
•     The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, Ben Horowitz, Harper Business

Others: Resources provided by Mentors during classes/practical.
 
 
Time Distribution and Study Load:

Lectures/seminars:                      8 hours

Practical/teamwork:                    36 hours
Group work with Mentors: 90
Project work assignments:         10 hours
Self-study:                                  35 hours
 
Teaching and Learning Methods:

This course is mainly practical. The students continue to work in small collaborative groups of 3 to 4 members (formed at the first course “Entrepreneurship and New Ventures”). Student groups will work with their respective mentor on the startup ideas. In this last course of the Minor in Entrepreneurship, students take up the role of an entrepreneur and develop their startup idea to a point at which they could receive a first investment. The learning also results from the interaction with the entrepreneurship network and stakeholders such as investors, government organizations and peer-startup companies.
 
Evaluation Scheme:

Midterm exam:
• Assignment or quiz (20%)


Final Exam:
The Final exam is delivered as a pitch of the validated business idea with the weightage of:
• Pitch day: Students will present their validated business idea (60%)
• Participation to the group work. (20%)


An “A” would be awarded if a student can show the ability of having elaborative knowledge and the capacity to apply this knowledge on their own business idea with evidence and nuance. A “B” would be awarded if a student shows an overall understanding of the topics covered, a “C” would be given if a student meets below expectation on both knowledge acquired and analysis. A “D” would be given if a student does not meet basic expectations of the topics presented in the course
 
Instructor(s):
SECTION NAME
A Prof. Dieter Wilhelm Trau , Mr. Emmanuel Andre Fernard Prado