• Acquire a basic understanding of entrepreneurship as an occupational choice
• Articulate the fundamental components and challenges involved in the process of starting and managing a startup, including startup financing, startup innovation, and entrepreneurial management
• Generalize this process to an entrepreneurial mindset of turning problems into opportunities that can be used in established companies and other settings
• Develop knowledge necessary to apply an entrepreneurial mindset to their personal and professional lives

The course is organized around a selective set of start-up and growth issues faced by nascent entrepreneurs. The topics to be addressed include:

1. Choosing a Career As an Entrepreneur: Startup Life
2. Turning a Business Idea into an Opportunity: Business Opportunity Assessment
3. Acquiring and Leveraging Financial Resources: Overview of Financing Opportunities
4. Choosing Co-founders: Founding Team Dilemma
5. Hiring Early Employees: The Right Hires at the Right Time
6. Evolving a New Business: Challenges in Managing and Growing a Venture

This course is organized by the six topics described above. There are two sessions under each topic. The first session is primarily an instructor lecture on related theories drawn from economic and sociological perspectives. The materials used for the theory session are mainly based on the text and required readings. The second part is planned for the case discussions. A typical class for the second part begins with a brief review of the theories presented in the previous class. We will then introduce a case selected for the topic. One or more class members will be asked to start the case by giving an overview of the business situation described in the case. We will then spend the rest of the session on discussing the general and specific questions in the case, and also conduct some formal analysis of the case. Students will be asked to apply the theories acquired from the first session to analyzing business situations described in the case and the individual protagonist’s course of action. At the end of the session, we will try to build a complete analysis of the case within a theoretical framework, summarize the key takeaways and determine the extent to which insights generated from the case can be applied to other business situations.

This course will be of particular interest to master students who are interested in entrepreneurship, management consulting, and corporate/entrepreneurial finance. The materials covered are intended to be accessible and comprehensible to all master students across different programs at CBS.

Class sessions will consist of lectures, case discussions and group presentations. In the first part of each class, I will provide a theoretical framework for thinking about today's topic, based on textbook chapters and reading materials. The second part of the class is designed for case discussions, starting with student group presentations. Student groups are expected to read and analyze the case in advance, draw insights from their analyses and frame in-class discussion. This course will be most valuable (and enjoyable) if all students are engaged and participating in a productive manner.