New Venture Creation

Introduction

Business development and the commercialization of innovations require entrepreneurial managers, whether starting a new firm or a new line of business in an established company. In this course, students will gain real-life experience with state-of-the-art entrepreneurial tools and methods, to learn how to develop and validate a business idea and value proposition, and build a viable business model around it. Moreover, in focusing on New Venture Creation, students will work with a real startup company to develop their business plan.

Lectures consist of a mix of group work to coach the project work, research based lectures, and case studies. Core themes of entrepreneurship will be discussed, such as the lean startup method, business modelling, entrepreneurial marketing and strategy, intellectual property, and venture capital. Students will be encouraged to do their projects with startups in the Innovation and technology hubs in the Oslo region. Alternatively, students can work on developing a new venture on their own.

The course is acknowledged as preparation course for “Gründerskolen” (the Norwegian School of Entrepreneurship, summer program), and will therefore also run in the spring semester.

Course content

• The lean startup method for starting new ventures
• Business modelling - from value propositions to firm level strategy of startups
• Entrepreneurial strategy, marketing and management
• How to structure a business plan
• Incorporation - choosing a legal structure
• Entrepreneurship and motivation - people in the organization
• Building business plan budgets and economic forecasts
• Intellectual property issues
• Venture capital