Syllabus

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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

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 pitch
  20% - Pitches 2,3,4,5
  30% - Team assignments

  20% - 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 session	10.09 Good Life Engine track kick-off
  		09.09 Team building I (Wed)
  1	38	15.09 Team building II	17.09 User research
  2	39	22.09 Pitch I & Pitch training	24.09 Entrepreneurship game
  2	40	29.09 Analyzing user data	01.10 Ideation
  3	41	06.10 Pitch II	08.10 Experimentation and prototyping
  3	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