Syllabus & Calendar

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The sessions for this course are organized into four modules:

1-4: The Entrepreneurial Perspective
5-10: Opportunity Recognition and Evaluation
11-16: Assembling Resources and Managing Growth
17-20: Entrepreneurship and You

1: Course Overview

Date: 
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Summary: This first meeting of the course will provide a complete overview of the course including  introductions and my expectations, and exactly how I plan to exceed students’ expectations.  We will discuss our goals and objectives in examining the fundamentals of technology entrepreneurship practiced in Silicon Valley and similar innovation-rich regions of the world.

Quote of the Day: "A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties." Harry Truman

2: Silicon Valley & Key Frameworks

Date: 
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Summary: What exactly is technology entrepreneurship?  We will give an overview of this process of creating and growing high potential ventures using several frameworks.  What exactly is the significance of "Silicon Valley"?  How has it been created?  What is unique about Silicon Valley, and what could be replicated in other regions of the world?  This session will examine the economic and cultural underpinnings of the center of technology entrepreneurship.

3: Creativity & Improvisation

Date: 
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Summary: Every entrepreneur faces endless challenges along the way. These problems never have one right answer, and often they have never been solved before. The only way for an entrepreneur to succeed is to view each challenge as an opportunity for a creative solution. The best entrepreneurs seek out challenges. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity! In this class we will focus on stirring up your creative juices so that you can tackle the challenges ahead. You will be given several interactive projects that have no right answer. You will be encouraged to work creatively with your team, to stretch your imagination, and to take some risks.

4: Venture Lab I -- Bing Field Trip to Sicily

Date: 
Thursday, October 6, 2011

This session is replaced by the first day of a special Bing Field Trip to Sicily.

5: From Idea to Opportunity 1

Date: 
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Summary: This is the first of two sessions where we discuss the differences between an idea and an opportunity. In this session, we look at the particular challenges of new ventures in information technology.

Quote of the Day:
"The key to a leader's impact is sincerity.  Before he can inspire with emotion he must be swayed by it himself.  Before he can move their tears his own must flow. To convince them he must himself believe." Winston Churchill

Study Questions (Policy on Study Questions.)

6: From Idea to Opportunity 2

Date: 
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Summary: This is the second of two sessions where we discuss the differences between an idea and an opportunity. In this session, we look at the particular challenges of new ventures in the life science industry.

Study Questions (Policy on Study Questions.)

7: Global Marketing and Business Models

Date: 
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Summary: This session examines strategy and entrepreneurship including the concepts of disruptive innovations, marketing, customer development, lean startups, and developing a business model. During the first part of the session, the importance and implications of the technology adoption life cycle are examined. We also survey the key elements of entrepreneurial marketing including a compelling product/service strategy, a well-crafted positioning and competitive differentiation and a subsequent penetration strategy (including distribution, promotion and pricing).

8: Venture Lab II - Museum Field Trip

Date: 
Thursday, October 20, 2011


Class field trip to Museo Galileo. Please read this article from the New York Times in June of 2011.

What can we learn about entrepreneurial thinking and how can we be inspired to innovate from Galileo's life and contributions?

9: Introduction to Venture Resources

Date: 
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Summary: How do entrepreneurs set priorities when gathering financial resources?  Today's session introduces the topic of venture finance. We will also here the draft positioning statements from each team as posted on their term project's website.

Quote of the Day: "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." ~ Booker T. Washington

Study Questions (Policy on Study Questions.)

11: Venture Lab IV - Museum

Date: 
Thursday, November 3, 2011


12: Startup Teams

Date: 
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Summary Entrepreneurship is a team sport. What are the critical human resource issues for new ventures? The NanoGene case examines the big three: assembling a team, developing a compensation policy, and creating an innovative culture.

At the end of this session, we will work through a process to improve the functioning of your team.  We will learn about group dynamics and how to improve the functioning of teams and groups that you find yourself in, both during your educational experience and in your career.

Quote of the Day: "Never, never, never, never give up." ~ Winston Churchill  

13: Financings

Date: 
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Summary: What is the value of "staged financings" for both entrepreneurs and venture capitalists? The SolidWorks case illustrates a classic first-round venture capital deal and highlights career paths both in technology entrepreneurship and venture capital.

Guest:
Andrew Nelson, University of Oregon

Study Questions (Policy on Study Questions)

14: Venture Lab V - Tim Parks

Date: 
Tuesday, November 15, 2011


Summary: This session is meeting at a special time. Tim Parks, who is author of Medici Money, is speaking to all of us here at the Stanford in Florence center on Wednesday, 16 November at 2PM.

15: The Renaissance and Silicon Valley

Date: 
Thursday, November 17, 2011


Summary

16: Stocks and Options

Date: 
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
tSummary: Barbara Arneson must decide which job offer to take. With all other factors being equal, she is now down to a decision based on the value of the equity compensation (i.e., the stock options) offered by each company. One company is a public company with easily gathered data on the financial status of the company. The other offer is from a start-up company which has only financial projections.

17: OAP Preparations

Date: 
Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Summary: Opportunity Analysis Projects

For information on this session please see the Term Projects page. Teams should meet today for a dress rehearsal and final preparations regarding their presentation in class during Session #18.

All students are encouraged to attend the presentation by Andrea Casalini, CEO of Buongiorno (bio here), in OSPFLOR 59 on November 30 at 2pm.  For more details, see the OSPFLOR 59 site here.

18: OAP Team Presentations

Date: 
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Summary: Opportunity Analysis Projects

For information on this session please see the Term Projects page. All teams will present today.

19: Course Summary

Date: 
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Quote of the Day: "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Study Questions (Policy on Study Questions.)