Sustainable entrepreneurship

Summary

This course introduces sustainable entrepreneurship through the creation of innovative startups addressing social and environmental challenges. Working in teams, students identify opportunities and develop sustainable business models using entrepreneurial tools.

Content

Keywords

Sustainable entrepreneurship, sustainability, startup, business model innovation, circular economy, social innovation, impact entrepreneurship, SDGs.

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

None. If you have already taken the MGT-201, you cannot take this course.

Recommended courses

None

Important concepts to start the course

Sustainable entrepreneurship: the process of identifying and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities that generate economic value while simultaneously creating positive social and environmental impact.

Learning Outcomes

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

• Discuss the multiple, interrelated challenges our society is facing
• Explain how entrepreneurship can be used to tackle societal challenges
• Analyze societal and environmental challenges as entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Design and iterate sustainable startup business models.

Transversal skills

• Take responsibility for environmental impacts of her/ his actions and decisions.
• Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
• Take feedback (critique) and respond in an appropriate manner.
• Make an oral presentation.
• Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.

Teaching methods

The course combines lectures, interactive workshops, guest speakers, case studies, and a semester-long startup project. Students apply entrepreneurial methods to identify sustainability challenges, interview potential users and stakeholders, validate assumptions, and iteratively develop a sustainable startup concept and business model.

Expected student activities

This is a highly interactive and process-based course in which each session builds upon the previous one. Student teams progressively develop a sustainable startup concept through opportunity identification, customer and stakeholder interviews, business model design, and iterative feedback. Active participation and regular attendance are therefore strongly encouraged. Teams will be formed in Session 3, making attendance on Tuesday, 9th March 2027, from 3:15 to 5:00 pm mandatory.

Assessment methods

60% Sustainable startup project
25% Peer-to-peer feedback
15% Class participation

Supervision

Resources

Moodle Link

• https://go.epfl.ch/MGT-203