Create a New Venture: From Idea to Launch I

S321/S322 is an integrated lab course in Entrepreneurship designed to teach students the process of creating a new viable venture - from Idea to Launch. It is a dynamic and interactive course organized around projects undertaken by teams of 3 to 4 registered students from the MSx and MBA programs, together with other graduate students from within Stanford who bring expertise of particular relevance to the idea being pursued, e.g. engineering, CS or medicine. This course is designed not only for students with immediate entrepreneurial aspirations but also for any student considering starting an entrepreneurial venture at some point in his or her career. The course is a two-quarter class, with admission to the class by team and idea. In the winter quarter, teams will research, craft, test and morph their idea into a viable business concept. In the spring quarter, they will further test, refine their concept and develop a strategy and plan to attract financial, human and other resources. At the end of the spring quarter, teams will present their plan to a panel of experts and potential investors to simulate the funding process. The course builds on important research, successes, and findings as they relate to the process of new venture creation. The teaching method is through a structured process of relevant mini-lectures, exercises and active in-depth team learning by doing (LBD). Extensive field research and prototype product development are integral to the course. Learning is further enhanced through meetings with the instructor, coaching by their assigned experienced mentors, experts, and review by peers. Informal student meetings/mixers will be held in the autumn quarter to further facilitate the formation of teams and assist in idea generation. The application process for S321/322,-Create A New Venture: from Idea to Launch- is described on the course website.