Syllabus

Startup Operations - Fall Term (Q1 & Q2)

Module 1 - Getting To Product Market Fit

Course Introduction - Setting Semester Goals & Milestones
Discovery I: Testing Assumptions & Talking With Customers
Discovery II: Journey Mapping & Solution Iteration
Metrics That Matter

Module 2 - The Startup Organization

5. Organizational Culture, Planning & Hiring
6. Communication Strategies & Hard Conversations

Module 3 - Startup Business Operations

7. Legal Matters

8. Financial Matters

9. Pricing
10. Early GTM & Growth Strategies

Module 4 - Startup Evolution

11. Shifts, Pivots & Building To Scale
12. Balancing Hats & Financing

13. Course Wrap & Reflections

Startup Operations Studio - Spring Term (Q3 & Q4)

This course meets every other week and is designed to continue the hands-on guidance through the early stages of building your venture. Session content will be via the critique (or “crits”) format used in Startup Operations. Crits are essentially live case scenarios brought into the classroom by the students enrolled in the course. These scenarios are based on real-time challenges students are facing while building their ventures. These scenarios both allow students to help each other through their own experiences and networks, but also insight potential challenges they may face in the near future.