Tech Entrepreneurship

Description

Aims: This is UCL Computer Science’s principal entrepreneurship module for students seeking to develop and test a new business idea. Over the past ten years we have taught entrepreneurship to thousands of students, resulting in the launch of several innovative businesses. The module covers the new business lifecycle (selecting and testing a moneymaking idea, preparing a business plan, raising finance, the Exit), aspects of new business operation (registering a company, setting up your office, understanding financial statements), and exploiting new e-commerce tools and techniques (doing business electronically, company web sites, online business software and services.) Intended learning outcomes: On successful completion of the module, a student will be able to: Apply first-hand experience of the selection and deployment of tools, techniques and theories for the identification, validation and structuring of a new business venture. Indicative content: The following are indicative of the topics the module will typically cover: Invention and innovation, finding and qualifying new opportunities. Business Model Generation. Confirming customer needs and testing market demand. Customer development. Lean Start-ups: what is your minimum viable product? The value of prototyping. Delivery channels and customer relationships. Business Plan and Preparing a Pitch. Financial Forecasting, Costing and Pricing. Management accounts. Cash-flow and profit and loss. Developing sustainable competitive advantage. Intellectual Property Rights. Corporate form and structure. Founder dilemmas - team, equity, remuneration etc. Developing your brand. Defining and testing critical business model uncertainties. Measuring progress. Common start-up metrics. Sources of Funding. Presenting to VCs. Class presentations, conclusions and next steps. Requisites: To be eligible to select this module as optional or elective, a student must be registered on a programme and year of study for which it is a formally available.