Argomenti dell'insegnamento
The course is organised in ten thematic sessions. 1. Entrepreneurial Mindset and Behaviour. Foundational principles and attitudes that characterise entrepreneurs; entrepreneurship as a learnable practice rather than an innate trait; calculated risk-taking, collaboration and adaptability; the many forms entrepreneurship takes (corporate entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, small business, social entrepreneurship, family firms, serial entrepreneurs); entrepreneurship as a transferable life skill. 2. A Primer on Innovation. Innovation as the combination of novelty and utility; invention versus innovation (Edison and Xerox PARC as contrasting cases); innovation as a source of competitive advantage; types of innovation (product, process, position, paradigm) and their nature (incremental versus radical); component/modular versus architectural innovation; competence-enhancing versus competence-destroying innovation; managing innovation through organisational routines and the search–select–implement–capture process model. 3. Developing Business Ideas. Opportunity recognition as the cornerstone of the entrepreneurial mindset; discovery versus creation approaches and the find, search, effectuate and design pathways; entrepreneurial purpose as the intersection of skills, passions and intended impact; structured idea-generation and prioritisation techniques. 4. Evaluating and Refining Business Ideas. Criteria for assessing a business idea (market size and growth, competition and differentiation, margins, risk, cost of customer acquisition and retention, scalability, required resources and skills, legal compliance, social and environmental impact); expressing an idea as a customer–problem–solution statement; crafting an elevator pitch; the slide deck canvas; identifying early adopters; customer personas and the Value Proposition Canvas. 5. Design Thinking and Lean Validation — Problem Perspective. The Jobs To Be Done framework and the levels of customer understanding; definitions and characteristics of a startup; sources of uncertainty and strategies to de-risk innovation; lean validation and the build–measure–learn cycle; identifying, prioritising and testing risky assumptions; planning and conducting problem-validation interviews with early adopters. 6. Design Thinking and Lean Validation — Solution Perspective. Launching early and learning fast; pretotyping; the concept, characteristics and purpose of the Minimum Viable Product; types of MVP (landing page, A/B testing, ad campaigns, explainer video, crowdfunding, piecemeal, Wizard of Oz) and their appropriate use; iterating on feedback and deciding whether to persevere or pivot. 7. Business Modelling: Value Creation, Delivery and Capture. The business model as a framework describing how an organisation creates, delivers and captures value; the value proposition; channels, customer engagement and delivery; monetisation, pricing and revenue models. 8. Market Analysis, Competitors and USP, Timeline and Team. Researching and presenting market size and trends; market sizing with TAM, SAM and SOM; identifying direct competitors and analysing points of divergence; defining and presenting a Unique Selling Proposition through comparison tables and cartesian positioning diagrams; structuring a development and go-to-market timeline; assembling and presenting a balanced team. 9. Resource Acquisition and Financial Management. Financing the early-stage venture: bootstrapping, friends and family, business angels, venture capital and public funding; what different funders look for and what they expect in return; runway, burn rate; building a simple cost and revenue model for the startup project. 10. Pitching and Public Speaking. Why communication matters as much as the idea; analysing and adapting to different audiences (investors, partners, customers). Pitch templates and deck structures. Pitching: tips and common pitfalls in slides, verbal and non-verbal delivery. Simulation exercises.

Insegnamenti propedeutici
none

Modalità di insegnamento
The course combines lectures, case studies, guest talks and highly interactive workshops. Group work is central: students collaboratively develop a startup project across the semester and receive continuous feedback. Between sessions, teams are expected to "get out of the building" (engaging directly with prospective customers through interviews and minimum viable products) and to document their findings in short progress reports. Assignments and presentations reinforce theoretical concepts through practical application, while active participation and peer-to-peer learning foster an entrepreneurial mindset. Teams of [3–5] students are formed during the first sessions. The project milestones are: M1 Selected business idea, expressed as customer–problem–solution [lecture 4] M2 Customer personas and a Value Proposition Canvas [lecture 5] M3 Problem-validation interviews with early adopters: plan, findings, decision to persevere or pivot [lecture 6] M4 MVP design, field test and resulting iterations [lecture 7] M5 Business model and revenue model [lecture 8] M6 Market sizing, competitors and USP, timeline, team [lecture 9] M7 Final pitch deck and presentation [exam session]

Obiettivi formativi
Disciplinary competence Knowledge and understanding - have acquired the basic knowledge to be able to turn a critical eye to their own work and to deal with contemporary complexity - have acquired the basic knowledge necessary for further Master's studies in all components of project culture as well as in scientific and theoretical subjects. Applying knowledge and understanding - recognise the main phenomena of contemporary society, to observe them critically, also from an ethical and social point of view, and to elaborate appropriate solutions at the level of a design proposal/response. - make use of the skills acquired during the course of study in the event of continuing studies in a Master's degree programme in the field of design and to develop them further. Transversal competence and soft skills Making judgements - Be able to make independent judgements, both in the critical evaluation of their own work and in their ability to use the right interpretative tools in those contexts in which they will work professionally in design and/or continue their studies, also considering ethical and social aspects. Communication skills - to professionally communicate and substantiate their own decisions and justify them from a theoretical point of view. Learning skills - have acquired basic knowledge in theoretical subjects as well as a study methodology suitable for continuing studies with a Master's degree programme.

Obiettivi formativi e risultati di apprendimento (ulteriori info.)
Disciplinary competence Knowledge and understanding Use correctly the language and frameworks of innovation: invention versus innovation; incremental versus radical innovation; the four types of innovation (product, process, position, paradigm); component/modular versus architectural innovation; competence-enhancing versus competence-destroying innovation; and the search–select–implement–capture process model. Describe key lean-startup and design-thinking tools — customer personas, the Value Proposition Canvas, the Jobs To Be Done framework, the build–measure–learn cycle, the Minimum Viable Product and its main types — and explain what each is useful for. Explain how a business model creates, delivers and captures value, and describe the main revenue model options available to an early-stage venture. Applying knowledge and understanding Generate, evaluate and iteratively refine multiple business concepts using structured selection criteria. Plan and conduct problem- and solution-validation interviews with early adopters, avoiding leading and hypothetical questions, and synthesise the findings into a clear problem statement. Design, build and test a minimum viable product (paper, digital or service-based), and incorporate real user feedback into the next iteration. Perform market sizing (TAM, SAM, SOM), analyse direct competitors, and define and visually present a Unique Selling Proposition and a coherent pricing logic. Build a simple cost and revenue model for an early-stage venture and identify appropriate sources of funding for its stage of development. Transversal competence and soft skills Making judgements Balance risk and opportunity: decide when to pivot and when to persevere on the basis of evidence gathered from customers. Apply ethical reasoning to venture decisions, identifying social and environmental impacts and proposing ways to mitigate them. Communication skills Craft and deliver an investor-ready pitch: structure a concise deck, employ storytelling techniques, and adapt the message to different audiences. Document the development of a venture concept in a clear, evidence-based written form. Teamwork and leadership Collaborate in small, cross-functional teams working in short iterative cycles. Navigate and resolve team disagreements in order to maintain project momentum. Learning skills Adapt to uncertainty by applying build–measure–learn cycles for continuous improvement of both product and process. Reflect critically on their own entrepreneurial development, drawing lessons from both successes and failures.

Modalità d'esame
Attending students Oral presentation (pitch) of the group startup project Final written exam Non-attending students Individual final report on a startup project (in lieu of the group project) Final written exam In both cases, active participation and steady progress throughout the semester are essential; deadlines and milestones are communicated in advance. Structure of the written exam Part 1 — 16 multiple-choice questions (16 points). Scoring: +1 point for a correct answer, -0.33 points for an incorrect answer, 0 points for a blank answer. Part 2 — 3 open questions (15 points), assessed on the correct use of course concepts, the quality of the application to a concrete case, and the clarity of the argument. Duration: 90 minutes. Language: English. The exam covers all topics addressed during the course. N.B. ALL THE STUDENTS ATTENDING THE EXAM AS “OPT” OR AS NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS MUST AGREE UPON THE CONTENTS WITH THE TEACHER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER.

Criteri di valutazione
Attending students 50% oral presentation (pitch) of the startup project 50% written exam Non-attending students 50% individual report on the startup project 50% written exam Evaluation criteria for the pitch Problem identification and customer understanding [20%] Solution proposal and MVP demonstration [20%] Validation evidence and iterations [15%] Market context and USP definition [15%] Revenue model [10%] Execution plan and timeline [5%] Visual and presentation quality (slides, delivery) [10%] Overall persuasiveness and clarity [5%] Evaluation criteria for the individual report Clarity of the problem statement [15%] Target customer definition [15%] Initial solution proposal [15%] Validation methodology and findings [20%] Market context and USP [15%] Overall organisation and coherence [10%] Overall originality and depth [10%]

Bibliografia obbligatoria

Neck, H.; Neck, C.; Murray, E., Entrepreneurship: The Practice and Mindset (2018), Sage

Selected readings and slides, available on the course platform

Bibliografia facoltativa

Thiel, P., Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future (2015)

Blank, S., The Four Steps to the Epiphany (2007)

Blank, S.; Dorf, B., The Startup Owner's Manual (2012)

Ries, E., The Lean Startup (2011)

Tidd, J.; Bessant, J., Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change (latest edition)

Osterwalder, A.; Pigneur, Y.; Bernarda, G.; Smith, A., Value Proposition Design (2014)

Christensen, C.; Hall, T.; Dillon, K.; Duncan, D., Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice(2016)

Fitzpatrick, R., The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers and Learn if Your Business is a Good Idea When Everyone is Lying to You (2013)

Savoia, A., The Right It: Why So Many Ideas Fail and How to Make Sure Yours Succeed (2019)

Kawasaki, G., The Art of the Start 2.0 (2015)

Duarte, N., Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences (2010)

McGrath, R.; MacMillan, I., Discovery-Driven Growth (2009)

Altre informazioni
Attendance is not mandatory but is strongly recommended, since workshops and group work form the core of the learning experience and cannot be reproduced through individual study alone. Deadlines and milestones are shared in advance; students unable to participate fully should arrange alternative individual work with the instructor in due time. Use of generative AI. Generative AI tools may be used to support ideation, background research, language editing and the visual preparation of materials, provided that their use is declared in a short note accompanying the project or report. They may not be used to fabricate or substitute for the empirical core of the work: customer interviews, MVP tests and the evidence gathered from real users must be genuinely carried out by the students, and the pitch must be delivered by the team members themselves. Any suspected fabrication of validation evidence is treated as an academic integrity issue.