Admission requirements
None
Description
This course focuses on the most crucial aspect of the start of any new technology venture: the discovery and assessment of a suitable entrepreneurial opportunity. The emphasis is on start-ups which have their roots in university research.Through lectures, case study seminars, readings, and group assignments, students learn about various frameworks from economic theory, psychology, decision analysis and social science. These are applied to answer questions such as: what are the essential elements of an entrepreneurial opportunity? What factors will determine whether an opportunity is a good one? Why are some opportunities a good basis for a start-up company while others are not? How crucial is the role of patents, what can be patented and how? What may withhold a university researcher from starting his own company?
All these aspects come together in a practical group assignment: from the perspective of an investor, identify and rank opportunities in an emerging technology area created in research. In the final session students present their findings to a jury of professionals with experience in business and company creation.
This course is intended for anyone interested in working in industry as an entrepreneur, manager, consultant, analyst, or investor. Moreover, the course will provide an analytical background for scientists, engineers and medical doctors with an interest in understanding the industrial aspects of their academic work. The course emphasises small-scale, interactive teaching that focuses on real-life case studies.
Topics covered:
The course covers a wide range of topics from economy and business, including industry structure and life cycle, knowledge and demand conditions, customer adoption, product features and pricing, increasing returns business, technology and learning curves, intellectual property and appropriation mechanisms, entrepreneurial traits, risk aversion, opportunity costs, surrogate entrepreneurship, Mertonian norms, the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship and the Simple Multi Attribute Rating Technology decision tool.
Course objectives
The overarching learning outcome is that you will be better able to search, identify and assess opportunities for starting new technology ventures. More specifically you will be (better) able to:
explain the nature of entrepreneurial opportunities, their origin and recognition;
assess the pros and cons of patenting inventions and anticipate issues that arise in acquiring and exploiting IP in a university context;
identify contextual factors and personal characteristics that have an impact on the discovery of opportunities and the decision to start a new venture;
use a decision tool and apply economic frameworks for defining and rating the quality of an entrepreneurial opportunity;
pitch an opportunity and make recommendations on selecting opportunities to invest in.
Timetable
Semester 1:
Course: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 14:00 – 17:00hrs, September 4th – September 29th 2017
Exam: 14:00 – 17:00 hrs, October 6th 2017
Mode of instruction
The course emphasises small-scale, interactive teaching that focuses on real-life case studies. Students will be debriefed, in hindsight, on what really happened.
Course Load
13 seminars of 2 to 3 hours
3 hour exam
Group presentation
Group assignment
Assessment method
Written exam (40%); group presentation and assignment (40%); preparation and participation (20%)
Blackboard
Yes
Reading list
A study pack with course readings and case studies will be provided at the start of the course.
Registration
Students can register for the course in uSis. Click here for instructions.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte via: www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/onderwijs/alacarte
Registration Contractonderwijs via: http://www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/onderwijs/contractonderwijs/
Contact
info@sbb.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
None