Executive
Education
Courses

Smart Startup Course (Entrepreneurship)

This course is designed to help students brainstorm and develop business ideas, conduct market research, narrow down choices, create a business plan, and develop a pitch deck with the assistance of artificial intelligence. The principles of entrepreneurship will be presented, and you will learn how to utilize AI to guide your decision-making and streamline the business development process. 

It should be noted that the results of using AI in this way are highly dependent on the communication skill and knowledge of human who is guiding it – understanding fundamental entrepreneurship principles, best practices, local business environment conditions/trends, etc. is crucial to produce quality results.

In the class, we will discuss ‘bootstrapping’ your enterprise idea with only a small amount of capital using the Lean Startup approach as well as ‘Old School’ financing. You will have the opportunity to learn how to identify opportunities and solve problems through innovative ideas. We will also consider alternative approaches to conventional entrepreneurship, such as parallel entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and side hustles. You will gain an understanding of entrepreneurship theory and develop a business plan and pitch deck for your startup idea (working in teams) which you can use to seek funding or launch the business. Classroom lectures, real-world cases, and assistance from AI will guide you step-by-step through the process.

In addition, successful local entrepreneurs will be invited as guest speakers to give you additional insights. A pitch competition will be held on the last day of class, with external judges and small prizes. By the end of the course you will have built up your knowledge, confidence and have useful transferable skills to help you in whatever future career you embark upon.