Whether your interest lies in solving the world’s biggest problems, creating the next commercial success or addressing something closer to home, this course will give you a toolbox to vet your ideas and test them in the real world.
We start at the beginning with your big idea and where it comes from: your everyday experience
and known sources of innovation as described by Peter Drucker.
What's included
8 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
8 videos•Total 57 minutes
Think About Your Big Idea•11 minutes
The Unexpected•9 minutes
Incongruities•9 minutes
Process Need•4 minutes
Industry and Market Structures •6 minutes
Demographics, Changes in Perception, and New Knowledge•10 minutes
Desh Deshpande: Introduction, Big Idea, and Advice to Himself •3 minutes
Jud Bowman: Introduction, Entrepreneurial Traits, and Challenges•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Guest Entrepreneur Bios•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Week 1 Quiz•30 minutes
Listen
Module 2•2 hours to complete
Module details
This second phase of the entrepreneurial lifecycle encourages you to take the big idea you’ve
thought about and solicit feedback from the people whose problems you’re trying to solve.
What's included
11 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
11 videos•Total 69 minutes
Listen to Your Customers•4 minutes
The Importance of the Listening Phase •8 minutes
The Purpose of a Business•3 minutes
Setting Up Customer Meetings•5 minutes
Running Customer Meetings•4 minutes
Your Total Product •6 minutes
Listening to Suppliers•7 minutes
Conclusion•4 minutes
Jud Bowman: Cold-calling and Listening for a Customer's Problem•2 minutes
Desh Deshpande: Talking to Customers•7 minutes
Shazi Visram: Introduction and Listening to Customers•19 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Week 2 Quiz•30 minutes
Plan
Module 3•1 hour to complete
Module details
Strategy, the art and science of being different than your competition, is the next element we introduce,
based on Michael Porter’s work.
What's included
10 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
10 videos•Total 43 minutes
Plan Your Strategy•3 minutes
What is Strategy?•6 minutes
Porter's Five Forces •5 minutes
Bargaining Power of Buyers, Supplier Substitutes, and Rivalry•4 minutes
Shazi Visram: Advice to Her Younger Self •1 minute
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Week 3 Quiz•30 minutes
Clarify
Module 4•1 hour to complete
Module details
In this module, we coach you on continuing to refine your big idea and beginning to
communicate it clearly to a wider audience.
What's included
12 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
12 videos•Total 49 minutes
Clarify Your Big Idea•4 minutes
Creating Fit & a Business Model•4 minutes
Introducing the Business Model Canvas•3 minutes
Customer Segments•3 minutes
Channels•7 minutes
Revenue Streams•5 minutes
Key Partnerships•4 minutes
Your Elevator Pitch•8 minutes
Conclusion•2 minutes
Jud Bowman: Avoiding Crisis Mode•2 minutes
Desh Deshpande: What is a Successful Elevator Pitch?•4 minutes
Shazi Visram: Control in Her Venture•2 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Week 4 Quiz•30 minutes
Support
Module 5•1 hour to complete
Module details
To make your big idea into a reality, you’ll need the personal, professional, and financial
resources we discuss in this module.
What's included
10 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
10 videos•Total 47 minutes
Support Your Big Idea•3 minutes
Support is More Than Financing •9 minutes
Building Your Foundation and Beyond•10 minutes
Funding: For-Profits •5 minutes
How Much?•9 minutes
Conclusion•1 minute
Jud Bowman: Control in His Ventures•2 minutes
Desh Deshpande: Solving Problems with Processes•1 minute
Desh Deshpande and Jud Bowman: Assembling Teams•4 minutes
Shazi Visram: Disciplines to Avoid Crisis Mode•2 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Week 5 Quiz•30 minutes
Iterate
Module 6•1 hour to complete
Module details
This final step of the entrepreneurial lifecycle outlines a method to continue thinking, listening,
planning, clarifying, and supporting your big idea.
What's included
10 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
10 videos•Total 40 minutes
Iterate Your Big Idea•3 minutes
A Metaphor for the Entrepreneurial Life•5 minutes
The Entrepreneurial Lifecycle•4 minutes
MVP •4 minutes
Testing + Pivoting•6 minutes
Navigating Growth•7 minutes
Conclusion and What's Your Big Idea? •4 minutes
Jud Bowman: Control in His Ventures •2 minutes
Desh Deshpande: Constant Reinvention and Evaluating Decisions •3 minutes
Shazi Visram: A Hurdle•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Week 6 Quiz•30 minutes
Peer Assessment (Optional)
Module 7•2 hours to complete
Module details
Create a pitch for your Big Idea, then give and receive feedback.
What's included
6 videos2 readings1 peer review
Show info about module content
6 videos•Total 21 minutes
How to Change Privacy Settings on YouTube•2 minutes
How to Upload Videos to YouTube•2 minutes
How to Upload Video to Vimeo •2 minutes
Very Good Project: 18 pts•6 minutes
Good Project: 13 points•4 minutes
Insufficient Project: 3 points•6 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
Instructions•10 minutes
Project Resource Links•10 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
Peer Assessment•60 minutes
Reverse Pitches (Optional)
Module 8•1 hour to complete
Module details
In these optional videos, experts from UNC Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis offered
their insider perspectives on a number of pressing problems that present unprecedented opportunities
for meaningful innovation.
What's included
9 videos1 reading
Show info about module content
9 videos•Total 78 minutes
Mark Katz: Pitching Challenges in the Arts•8 minutes
Alice Ammerman: Pitching Challenges in Food Systems•20 minutes
Jim Johnson: Pitching Aging & Demographic Changes •13 minutes
Matthew Rascoff: Pitching Problems in Higher Education•6 minutes
Steve Malik: Pitching Problems in Healthcare•13 minutes
Nancy Morrow Howell: Pitching Changes in Employment with Aging•5 minutes
Michael Sherraden: Pitching Universal Identification•4 minutes
Jeff Gordon: Pitching Problems in Childhood Undernutrition•4 minutes
Marcus Raichle: Challenges in Brain Development•4 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Reverse Pitch Guest Bios•10 minutes
Instructors
Instructor ratings
Instructor ratings
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is known around the world for innovative teaching and research. Regularly ranked as the nation’s best value for academic quality, UNC has produced the most Rhodes Scholars for the past 25 years among U.S. public research universities.
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Learner since 2021
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Learner reviews
4.6
168 reviews
5 stars
71.25%
4 stars
23.95%
3 stars
2.39%
2 stars
2.39%
1 star
0%
Showing 3 of 168
A
AA
4·
Reviewed on Oct 12, 2015
Good course, the ideas are organized , some many real example have been explained. I recommend this course for all people who have ideas in their minds.
A
AO
5·
Reviewed on Jul 19, 2022
It was an eye opener for me and it has broaden my mind on Entrepreneurship and what it entails.
S
SD
4·
Reviewed on Feb 14, 2016
Very Good Course and the Professors explained the material very well. Thanks
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Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.