An application-based accelerator course called Launching and Scaling New Enterprises – “The League” (of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs). As the name suggests, it’s about the process of a company going from the idea stage to implementation.
These courses at WashU have never disappointed me. Each semester, there’s a total budget of $30,000, which can be used for company reimbursement as long as you get into the class. But setting aside the students who are filtered into this class, the syllabus itself is really something.
The founders and team members are set by the end of the last semester, and tasks are listed for the founders during the end-of-semester cohort meeting.
“If you are not going to work on your business/idea through the winter break, this class is not for you.”
The same goes for team members. If there’s no commitment of 10-15 hours per week, or if you’re not serious about listening to the speaker, then it’s not recommended to attend.
“The startup culture at times can feel brusque and impersonal, but in reality is focused and oriented to create immediate action in time and cash-constrained environments.”
While I don’t deny that this can be the case, from my experience in a start-up, the company culture is greatly influenced by individuals, for better or worse.
Those who come to this class either have their own idea/are doing a start-up, or it’s a group of people using this course to implement and expand their project.
Last week’s meeting involved a brief discussion with team members about startup ideas. Now there are plans to tackle technical challenges with the professor and then apply them to the market. One freshman in my group told me he just signed a 60k contract for his B2B…
This course is essentially about doing what startups do + listening to CEO guest speakers + reading books + pitching to VCs/angel investors.
Looking at the book list… Hmm… three startup book reflections, feels like a literature class. I just realized that Canvas also has a hidden fourth book reflection on a self-chosen leadership book.
I checked the guest speaker list and did some research. They are mostly CEOs who have either grown their companies significantly or have been operating them for many years, along with VCs. Opening their profiles, I found that more than half have a familiar mutual connection on LinkedIn – the professor who taught me Intro to Entrepreneurship last semester (MGT 421).
Well, of course you, Barton Hamilton.
If it were a year ago, or even right after graduating from high school, I probably couldn’t imagine that I would be genuinely interested in entrepreneurship, really working hard for it, and willing to spend a lot of time on it.
…
Today, I chatted with a CMU CS nerd I haven’t talked to in a while. He said he has a 90hrs/week commitment this semester. Me: (Do I really need to calculate mine?)
(Okay, I did my calculation) 102hrs～113hrs+