Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years (1.8.2018-31.7.2020), which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Startup Experience teaches students how to run an early stage, scalable startup to create social and economic value while solving a sustainability-related problem.
The course provides an entrepreneurial mindset and capabilities.
Within the course students will work on venture ideas within Sustainable Development Goals.
Learning outcomes are based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. After the course, the students will be able:
• To identify sustainable and scalable business opportunities
• To pitch business ideas and ventures
• To apply knowledge about marketing, user research, idea validation, experimentation and prototyping, and financial literacy for one’s endeavor
• To work in and lead diverse teams
• To work effectively with different tools for team working and communicating remote-ly
• To take ownership and responsibility for one’s own work
• To develop self-awareness and self-management skills, including time management and personal wellbeing
• To think outside the box and be more innovative
• To cope with challenge and know how to fail & pivot after having practiced resilience in a safe environment
• To think critically and through ethical and sustainable lenses
The pedagogy is experiential, hands-on learning which exposes students (as far as possible) to real-world challenges and overcoming them using the entrepreneurial process. The course includes mostly workshops and hands-on team assignments based on venture ideas.
Credits: 9
Schedule: 08.09.2020 - 11.12.2020
Teacher in charge (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022): Lidia Borisova, Heidi Mikkonen
Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Lidia Borisova, Heidi Mikkonen
Contact information for the course (valid 04.08.2020-21.12.2112):
For more information, contact the course assistant:
Teddy Duy Tran, duy.tran@aalto.fi, AVP
Course teachers:
Lidia Borisova, lidia.borisova@aalto.fi, AVP
Heidi Mikkonen, heidi.mikkonen@aalto.fi, AVP
Tuesday 13:00 - 14:00
Thursday 13:00 - 14:00
CEFR level (applies in this implementation):
Language of instruction and studies (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022):
Teaching language: English
Languages of study attainment: English
CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD
Content
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Experience what it’s like to found and run a startup, without actually having to set up a company. During this course you will learn the essentials of entrepreneurship: user-centered product and service design, business ethics and sustainability, opportunity recognition, business modeling, teamwork, pitching, startup finance and marketing. That is, everything you need to navigate the fast-paced and unpredictable commercial environment, or even become a founder.
While the focus of the course is on setting up a new business as a startup, the skills you will learn are equally valuable in the context of existing companies. The course will suit a person who is adaptive, collaborative and creatively driven. Who is interested in going beyond conventional thinking practices to create effective teams and commercial value.
During the course, students work in small start-up teams that together go from initial problem definition all the way to the final investor pitch. Teamwork is one of the main learning skills of the course and simultaneously one of the biggest challenges for students. Throughout the course students will have team dynamic clinics and reflections to support the teamwork. At AVP, students don’t just work in groups but build actual teams.
The course takes a firm stand in preventing burnouts which is why students will also learn about time management and focus on personal wellbeing. By the end of the course, students will not only have created a new venture but also gone through the project in a sustainable way. Through different exercises, students will be able to turn wellbeing-boost lessons into lifelong skills.Applies in this implementation:
The objectives of the course and the teams are to use good lean and agile practices to research a user need or desire, define a business (product or service, business model, pricing etc) to fulfil the need and manage the team towards successful implementation of the business.
In the course you will learn different skill sets:To identify sustainable and scalable business opportunities
To pitch business ideas and ventures
To apply knowledge about marketing, user research, idea validation, experimentation and prototyping, and financial literacy for one’s endeavour
To work in and lead diverse teams
To work effectively with different tools for team working and communicating remotely
To take ownership and responsibility for one’s own work
To develop self-awareness and self-management skills, including time management and personal wellbeing
To think outside the box and be more innovative
To cope with challenges and know how to fail & pivot after having practised resilience in a safe environment
To think critically and through ethical and sustainable lenses
The pedagogy is experiential, hands-on learning which exposes students (as far as possible) to real-world challenges and overcoming them using the entrepreneurial process. The course includes mostly workshops and hands-on team assignments based on venture ideas.
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
The course is graded based on both team and personal performance.
Team performance is measured based on for example:
• The customer value creation process (assessed in bi-weekly pitches)
• Key company deliverables (including marketing campaign, shareholders agreement, etc.)
Personal performance is evaluated based on for example:
• COO performance (each student will act as the company COO for a specific assignment, the student's performance in the assignment is based on the outcome of the assignment as well as a personal reflection on the management process and learning)
• Final individual oral exam
The student’s total grade is combined of the team grade and personal grade.Applies in this implementation:
80% - team grade
30% - Final pitch20% - Pitches 2,3,4,530% - Team assignments20% - individual grade (individual exam)
Evaluation and feedback of the pitches will be provided on-the-spot prior by a board of judges (lecturers and guests) to the teams in front of the class during the pitch sessions. Grades will be given at the end of the day.
Team assignments will be graded by teachers and given back to the students after they are finished grading. The individual exam is evaluated based on individual performance and participation as well as progress made with the team.
Workload
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
For 9 ECTS the workload is 243 hours of student work.
Applies in this implementation:
The expected workload of this 9 ECTS course is ca 243h, which translates to the weekly workload of approximately ca 20h during the two first teaching periods of autumn 2020 including the 5 hours of mandatory class time each week. There will be team deadlines on most weeks, so we recommend that you do not take another large project course while participating in this one.
DETAILS
Study Material
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Online materials distributed via MyCourses
Applies in this implementation:
Materials are not compulsory for final exams. Most of the materials are lecture slides or workshop materials used during the lectures.
Preliminary schedule
Lecture 1: Introduction to Startup Experience
Lecture 2: Teamwork and Leadership
Lecture 3: Why be an Entrepreneur?
Workshop: on Teamwork
Workshop: Startup game
The idea of the startup game is to get your team to actively think about what you need to achieve and what skills you might need to strengthen in your team.
Workshop: Interactive work process
The basics for working in Startup Experience are the concepts of sprints, iterative work and experiment.
Workshop: Analyzing user data
Analyzing data that you have collected in interviews and experiments
Lecture 4: Inbound marketing
Workshop: experimentation and prototyping
Moving your concept forward using experimentation and prototyping.
Workshop: Disruption
Workshop: Market Estimation
Workshop: Financials
Lecture 5: Early Startup Financing
Workshop: Growth Hacking
Workshop: Financing Negotiation
Workshop: Design your life
Lecture 6: Challenges and Opportunities in Startup Life
Substitutes for Courses
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Replaces the courses 25E44000, T-128.5400 and T-106.5750 and TU-E4020 - High Growth Entrepreneurship with varying content.
Prerequisites
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
No prerequisites, but TU-C2090 Starting Up online course or TU-C2080 Entrepreneurship Essentials is highly recommended.
SDG: Sustainable Development Goals
1 No Poverty
2 Zero Hunger
3 Good Health and Well-being
5 Gender Equality
6 Clean Water and Sanitation
7 Affordable and Clean Energy
8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10 Reduced Inequality
11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
12 Responsible Production and Consumption
13 Climate Action
14 Life Below Water
15 Life on Land
16 Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
17 Partnerships for the Goals
FURTHER INFORMATION
Details on the schedule
Applies in this implementation:
Workshop and pitching session on Tuesdays 09:15-12:00
Lecture session on Thursdays 14:15-16:00
The Tuesday session is focused on value creation, discovering and defining the product or service that the teams are working towards. The Thursday session is focused on operation topics such as teamwork, leadership, finance, marketing and operations.
Preliminary schedule
Sprint wk Tue 09:15-12:00 Thu 14:15:16:00 1 37 08.09 Intro
session10.09 Good
Life Engine track kick-off09.09 Team
building I (Wed)1 38 15.09 Team
building II17.09 User
research2 39 22.09 Pitch I & Pitch
training24.09 Entrepreneurship game 2 40 29.09 Analyzing user data 01.10 Ideation 3 41 06.10 Pitch II 08.10 Experimentation and
prototyping3 42 13.10 Disruption 15.10 Market Estimation exam week 43 TBA 4 44 27.10 Pitch III 29.10 Marketing 4 45 03.11 Financials & Marketing 05.11 Prototyping 5 46 10.11 Pitch IV 12.11 Financing I 5 47 17.11 Growth Hacking 19.11 Financing II 6 48 24.11 Pitch V 26.11 TBA 6 49 01.12 Ethics 03.12 Good Life Engine exam week 50 08.12 Final pitch 08-11.12 Final exams
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