What can we teach about Entrepreneurship in Engineering?
Here is a something to learn from Computer Science department of Univ of Toronto. While this course is about Biz of Software, there can be similar courses in the final year of each engineering faculty, like "Biz of Civil engg", Biz of Manufacturing", Biz of Automobiles" etc. etc.
Prof Karan Singh, has shared some information about a course that is offered at the final year of 4 year degree program. Following is information about the course for enrollment of students.
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The Business of Software, offered in the Fall 2014 and Winter 2015 semesters, introduces you to the nature, structure, and dynamics of the contemporary software industry. The focus of the course is the key factors involved in hypothesising, validating and executing a viable business model necessary to launch and sustain a successful software-based business venture.
In this course, you will learn techniques and methodologies that will give you a distinct career advantage after graduation. It is designed to give you a true-to-life experience of the thought process behind successful business ventures, whether you plan on creating your own startup or working for an established employer. In either case, critical business analysis skills complement the computer science skills sought by the industry.
You and your team will devise a cool, innovative solution to a significant industry problem. This will involve researching your customer base, forming and testing hypotheses, and producing a value proposition that will form the basis for your business model. You will investigate your customer base and market by identifying the key activities, resources and partners needed for fulfillment. This process culminates in a business model that both makes sense in a financial context and resonates with a venture capital (VC) audience—the kind of audience who will critique your final product as part of the class.
This course sets very high standards for the students in it because the business world demands nothing less. The final business plan is judged by the same exacting standards as a potential client or VC, where there is no such thing as an "A for effort," and a failure in 1% of your plan means you lose the contract. We have an obligation to ensure that your business education is thorough and demanding, and only students who are exceptionally dedicated and committed to developing mastery over the techniques and methodologies in this course will excel.
Guest speakers and panelists include entrepreneurs and investors that are currently active in the industry, each will share their unique real-world experiences, insights, and perspectives on the future of software and software entrepreneurship.
Course objectives include a meaningful understanding of: The high-technology business environment in general and the software industry in particular. The business concepts and principles behind creating and launching a successful software venture. How to produce, present, and critique business proposals and plans for software ventures, and how to develop business simulation and forecasting models in support of these plans. How to speak and present to investors, executives, judging panels, incubators and accelerators. Upon successful completion of the course, you will have first-hand experience of the stages, processes, and challenges involved in transforming an idea for a software application into an investable business venture, and will be ideally positioned to begin launching your own software venture.
*NEW!* This fall students have the option to take part in a multi-university cognitive computing business plan competition using IBM Watson as the technology driving your venture. The grand prize for the competition will be $100,000 in seed money. Participating in the competition option requires you to enrol in CSC490H1F as well as CSC454H1F.
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On Thu, Aug 21, 2014 at 4:11 PM, Karan Singh <karan@dgp.toronto.edu> wrote:
This is the course
Some old course links are here.
http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/people/RMB/old/old_csc454/
have a look.
there may be some newer links off of ron baecker's webpage.
-karan
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