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Entrepreneurship laboratory (e-lab)

MGT-517

Lecturer(s) :

Lebret Hervé

Language:

English

Withdrawal

It is not allowed to withdraw from this subject after the registration deadline.

Remarque

Only for MA3

Summary

High-tech entrepreneurship is a major topic of innovation thanks to the value creation of companies such as Microsoft, Intel, Genentech, Apple or Google. These companies did not exist fifty years ago. Such an exceptional phenomenon is studied with case studies & interaction with entrepreneurs.

Content

The high failure rate of start-up growth is an indication that even in Silicon Valley entrepreneurship remains a difficult process, not to say that it is nearly impossible to master. No theory has been able to predict the outcome of entrepreneurial ventures and it is not even clear that practice and experience really help in building successful start-ups. Therefore, the only way to better understand startup dynamics is to experience them in real cases. EFPL is surrounded by a higher than average high-tech start-up scene, particularly at the EPFL Innovation PArk (EIP) and close by Garage. Students will be given an opportunity to work with entrepreneurs on challenges they face in the start-up growth. Given the limited timeframe, it will not be possible to have a complete overview of the challenges an entrepreneur faces, but the objective would be that the students learn as much as possible from such a situation. Because all start-ups are different however, a large part of the course will be to complement the real case with other case studies so that the students learn as much as possible.

Keywords

Entrepreneurship, High-tech, Start-up, Silicon Valley, Venture Capital

Learning Prerequisites

Recommended courses

None

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Systematize the high-tech start-up knowledge
• Plan activities for a project

Transversal skills

• Communicate effectively, being understood, including across different languages and cultures.
• Communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines.
• Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.
• Write a scientific or technical report.
• Make an oral presentation.
• Collect data.

Teaching methods

A mix of academic teaching and personal project.

Assessment methods

Continuous assessment combining:

• Midterm exam 30%
• Project 30%
• Presentations 40%

Resources

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

No

Bibliography

Stanford Technology Venture Program, http://stvp.stanford.edu

Founders at Work, Jessica Livingston, Apress, 2007 http:/www.foundersatwork.com

The Art of Start, Guy Kawasaki, Portfolio, 2004 http://www.guykawasaki.com/books/art-of-the-start.shtml

Start-Up, What we may still learn from Silicon Valley, Hervé Lebret, CreateSpace, 2007 http://www.startup-book.com

Ressources en bibliothèque

• Stanford Technology Venture Program
• Start-Up / Lebret
• Art of the start / Kawasaki
• Founders at work