Argomenti dell'insegnamento
It is a capstone course for competence development, in which the knowledge and skills acquired in the various courses are pooled using problem solving based learning to analyse real situations and develop an action plan for starting a new venture including a business plan, the application for an accelerator program and/or a pitch deck for investors. List of topics covered: • Opportunity Evaluation and Selection. Students learn to identify and assess market opportunities based on evidence, feasibility, and strategic fit. What distinguishes a promising idea from a passing trend? • Customer Validation and Pricing. Participants. engage in real-world testing to validate customer needs and define pricing strategies that reflect value perception. Have you listened closely enough to build what people truly need—and will pay for? • Marketing Plan. The module covers lean marketing approaches for early-stage ventures, focusing on positioning, messaging, and channel selection. Can your message cut through the noise—and reach the right audience? • Finance Plan. Students design a basic financial model to estimate costs, revenues, and key performance indicators. Do your numbers tell a story that investors will believe in? • Business Model. This unit explores business model design tools (e.g., Business Model Canvas) to define how ventures create, deliver, and capture value. Who benefits from your solution—and why now? • Business Plan. Students learn how to synthesize their concept into a coherent, compelling business plan aimed at partners or funding institutions. Can you turn your vision into a convincing narrative? • Applying for an investment or to an Accelerator Programme. Participants gain insight into investment/application processes and how to communicate traction, potential, and team strength effectively. What makes your venture stand out from the crowd?

Modalità di insegnamento
Frontal lectures, lab & projects

Modalità d'esame
• Intermediate presentations (30%) - validating assumptions • Final powerpoint-based presentation of the project work (30%) - testing the attractiveness of the idea and the plan • Project work (written): written project report done in groups (40%) - generating an action plan for starting a new venture • Intermediate presentations (30%) - validating assumptions The presence and participation at the lectures is obligatory; there is no assessment for non-attending students. Students attending less than 75% of the lectures will automatically fail the course.

Criteri di valutazione
Relevant for intermediate presentations: • progress in integrating new content • mastery of language • ability to evaluate the state of the project • application of project to real world problems Relevant for powerpoint-based presentation of the project work: • clarity of expression • mastery of language • logic and coherence (in terms of structure and arguments) • conveying key messages in a reduced format • attention getting • mastery of key concepts Relevant for written project work: • clarity of expression • mastery of language • logic and coherence (in terms of structure and arguments) • integration of the various topics • establish logical relationships between sub-topics • maturity of project and funding probability