This course is part of the Entrepreneurial Finance: Strategy and Innovation Specialization

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336 ratings

Cam Harvey

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Entrepreneurial Finance: Strategy and Innovation SpecializationDuke University

About this Course

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Blockchain is an emerging and highly disruptive technology that is poorly understood. In this course you will learn what blockchain is and how it can create value by tokenization in cryptocurrencies and in many other practical applications. The applications include: stablecoins (like Facebook’s Libra and JP Morgan’s JPMCoin), machine to machine payments, identity protection, supply chain management (Walmart, Maersk, IBM), secure voting, distributed exchanges, decentralized finance, property transfers, central bank fiat crypto (e.g., Fedcoin and China’s digital Renminbi), dispensing prescription drugs, private records, intellectual property, financial reporting, and media and advertising, to name a few.  The goals of the course are to: (i) provide an advanced understanding of the various blockchain technologies; (ii) determine the specific business situations where blockchain technology can be deployed to solve important problems; (iii) select the specific blockchain technology that has the best chance of success for a particular problem; and (iv) detail the risks presented by this new technology.

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Course 3 of 4 in the

Entrepreneurial Finance: Strategy and Innovation Specialization

Intermediate Level

Approx. 12 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Cryptocurrency
Blockchains
Business Model
Disruptive Innovation
Innovation

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 3 of 4 in the

Entrepreneurial Finance: Strategy and Innovation Specialization

Intermediate Level

Approx. 12 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.83/5 (128 Ratings)

Cam Harvey

Professor of Decentralized Finance

Fuqua School of Business

52,334 Learners

5 Courses

Offered by

Duke University

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating93%(1,177 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Blockchain Overview

1 hour to complete

10 videos (Total 61 min)

1 hour to complete

Cryptographic Hashing

Almost all blockchains use some sort of cryptographic hashing. Hashing is a one way function where any input of arbitrary size can be uniquely expressed as a string of characters. Any change in the input cause the hash to change. Hashing is a one way function: it is easy to go from the input to the hash but extremely difficult to go the other way. As such, cryptographic hashing should not be confused with encryption where an encrypted message can be decoded.

1 hour to complete

10 videos (Total 43 min)

Week2

Week 2

1 hour to complete

Blockchain Encryption and Signatures

1 hour to complete

7 videos (Total 41 min)

2 hours to complete

Bitcoin and Other Blockchains

Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency and the first large scale use of blockchain technology. This module explores how the bitcoin blockchain works. We detail the mechanics of transactions and there is an introduction to the consensus mechanism called Proof of Work. This provides a foundation to look at other blockchain implementations. We highlight the difference between bitcoin, ethereum and other technologies like Hyperledger.

2 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 74 min)

Week3

Week 3

1 hour to complete

Using Blockchain

1 hour to complete

6 videos (Total 43 min)

2 hours to complete

Consensus

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 42 min)

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Value of Cryptoapplications

There are thousands of new ventures that are deploying blockchain technology. How do we assess whether these ventures are viable - in the context of either investing for one of these companies or working for them. This module provides a checklist for evaluating cryptoventures. This list includes important questions such as: a) what problem is being solved? b) is the problem an important problem? c) is blockchain the best technology to solve the problem? and d) what type of blockchain technology is best suited to solve the problem?

2 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 60 min)

2 hours to complete

The Regulatory Environment and the Future of Fintech

Given this is a new technology, regulators need to both learn about the technology and develop guidelines. The module explores some key regulators in the US such as the SEC and the CFTC and the basic legal background that guides their regulatory framework. We also explore the regulatory concept of the “right touch”: if the regulations are too harsh, then innovation is stifled and driven off shore - if regulations are too lax, then you invite a high level of fraud. The module ends with a general discussion of the future of Fintech, in particular, decentralized finance.

2 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 54 min)

9 videos

Introduction to Regulation. The Role of the SEC.11mThe Role of the CFTC, IRS, and Other Agencies9mThe Transmission of Money7mWhat is Fintech?4mWhat Accounts for the Growth in Fintech?4mWhat are the Implications for Business?3mWhat are the Implications for Society?3mFintech Promise for the Unbanked4mWhat Fueled the Growth of AI and Machine Learning?5m

5 practice exercises

Introduction to Regulation. The Role of the SEC.2mThe Role of the CFTC, IRS, and Other Agencies2mThe Transmission of Money4mThe Fintech Landscape4mThe Regulatory Environment and the Growth of Fintech Graded Quiz30m

Reviews

4.7

115 reviews

5 stars
78.99%
4 stars
17.45%
3 stars
1.47%
2 stars
0.59%
1 star
1.47%

TOP REVIEWS FROM BLOCKCHAIN BUSINESS MODELS

by JDDec 1, 2022

If you want an in depth overview of hashing and how the blockchain really works step by step, look no further. I am happy I ran into this, the professor's teaching is top notch.

by TKApr 29, 2020

It provides the correct amount of depth for each subject within Blockchain for a beginners course.

by JBJun 30, 2022

would have liked to have references of free platforms where I can try to develop or try blockchain

by ABMay 10, 2020

Prof. Harvey offered his deep personal experience and a very positive motivation to detail the blockchain backbones, existing coins and tokens and their business potential.

View all reviews

About the Entrepreneurial Finance: Strategy and Innovation Specialization

From entrepreneurs to executives, this Specialization provides an opportunity for you to learn how to advance business innovation in your company and gain insights from leading faculty in the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

In the first course, you will learn how to valuate entrepreneurial ventures—including high-growth startups—using Excel spreadsheet models. You will also learn how to discern between the tradeoffs of different financing strategies: loan investments, venture capital, angel investing, and crowdfunding. The second course will teach you how to manage a startup’s financing strategy, where you will learn how to build capitalization tables (or “cap tables”) in Excel. Cap tables will help you explore different financing strategies for your startup company and determine which financing decisions are best for your entrepreneurial venture. The third course transitions to an analysis of blockchain technologies, where you will learn how to identify opportunities to disrupt and innovate business models using blockchain as well as avoid poorly executed applications of blockchain to business. The fourth course will teach you how to use R programming to calculate the return of a stock portfolio as well as quantify the market risk of that portfolio. This Specialization is also an excellent opportunity for professionals interested in Fuqua’s master’s programs to get an inside look into Fuqua’s faculty expertise and courses.

Entrepreneurial Finance: Strategy and Innovation

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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