Technological Entrepreneurship Concentration

Gives students the opportunity to build a complete business plan for new high-potential ventures. Covers all aspects of the planning process, from the point of view of both the prospective entrepreneur and the potential investor. Explores the demands of the entrepreneurial career through reading, self-assessment exercises, and group projects. Guest speakers from startup companies, law firms, and venture capital firms provide a window on current experiences in the small-business world. Recommended for prospective entrepreneurs as well as others who may become involved with new ventures.
ENTR 6212 | 3 credits

Introduces the major areas of the legal environment for innovation and new ventures and their relationship to early stage decisions and product and business development. Analyzes the nature, practical impact, and competitive usefulness of laws in the areas of intellectual property, contracts, employment, e-commerce, regulatory compliance, and entity formation. Offers students an opportunity to integrate and apply their understanding of legal, financial, business, technology, and ethical factors; sharpen their analytic skills; and use their skills and understanding to recognize opportunities for adding value and managing risk.
ENTR 6224 | 3 credits

Covers the role emerging technologies play in innovation for new ventures and established corporations. Includes a mix of theory and practical knowledge. Topics covered include technology disruption, diffusion, life cycles, and research-and-development strategy. Explores, in detail, the technical and market opportunities for current and emerging technologies across a broad spectrum of industries.
TECE 6222 | 3 credits

Examines the specific situation of entrepreneurial marketing. Topics include how to perform a market analysis when there are limited resources and tight schedules to be met. Also addresses new market situations, opportunity assessment, customer segmentation, going to market, and writing a marketing plan.
TECE 6230 | 3 credits

Covers the intersection of customer research with product design, specifically lean design and how to map abstract attributes that customers seek into concrete product designs that can actually be built. Other topics include managing the technology business interface, creating product teams, and drafting product development plans.
TECE 6250 | 3 credits

Covers topics specific to managing a business or a strategic business unit within a firm. Considers the special issues related to technology-based firms. Topics include creating a culture, operations planning, staffing for technical excellence, dealing with technology vendors, dealing with advisers, supply chain management, and writing operations plans.
TECE 6300 | 3 credits

Focuses on the personal skills an entrepreneur needs to lead and persuade others. Students read about and complete exercises on leadership and selling ideas. In addition, students meet members of the entrepreneurship community in New England. Stresses communications skills, both written and oral, along with self-discovery of leadership style.
TECE 6340 | 3 credits

Covers qualitative and quantitative aspects of entrepreneurial finance, such as venture capital and angel financing. Also covers private equity (i.e., buyout/leveraged buyout firms) but in less detail. Introduces students to valuation aspects in entrepreneurial finance, including valuation of startups, using real options to value innovation-intensive firms; valuation in staged financing; etc. Case-work emphasizes the practical aspects of qualitative and quantitative issues related to venture capital financing, entrepreneurship, and innovation from the perspective of the financier and the startup firm. Also covers many issues related to the venture capital industry, such as the limited partnership structure of the venture capital/private equity industry, venture capital term sheets and contracts, exit of portfolio firms, and international investments. May be repeated without limit.
FINA 6260 | 3 credits