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Entrepreneurship I: Laying the Foundation

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Entrepreneurship I: Laying the Foundation

This course is part of Innovation: From Creativity to Entrepreneurship Specialization

Instructor: Thomas E. Parkinson

66,039 already enrolled

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,325 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,325 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Demonstrate an understanding of how entrepreneurs can develop new venture ideas.
Examine a potential market opportunity and evaluate its viability.
Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of entrepreneurial leadership and team building.
Develop a plan for identifying and securing early adopter customers for a new venture.

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

37 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Innovation: From Creativity to Entrepreneurship Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

This course will explore the earlier stages of the entrepreneurial venture process across four modules. The modules will examine the nature of growth and error in entrepreneurial settings and how to manage resources in those settings. In addition, the modules will explore the emergence of entrepreneurial opportunities, the formulation of ideas in relation to those opportunities, and how those opportunities and ideas influence entrepreneurial phenomena. Finally, the course will focus on how business concepts underlie compelling entrepreneurial missions that provide guidance to the evolution of a venture’s business model and future strategic planning.

You will be able to: - Develop a foundational understanding of the entrepreneurial process - Consider the relationship between growth and error - Understand how particular opportunities influence entrepreneurial phenomena This course is part of Gies College of Business’ suite of online programs, including the iMBA and iMSM. Learn more about admission into these programs and explore how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into a degree program at https://degrees.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/idegrees/.

This module introduces entrepreneurship as a learnable process rather than a stereotype, and shows how ideas, decisions, and support emerge in real ventures. It examines where entrepreneurial ideas come from, why early-stage entrepreneurship is difficult under uncertainty, and how founders can navigate the personal and practical challenges of building something new. The module also highlights guiding principles for early-stage action and explains why pitching is a core skill for winning support.

What's included

9 videos5 readings9 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin

9 videosTotal 51 minutes

Introduction to Entrepreneurship I: Laying the Foundation6 minutes
The Impact of the Gies Community2 minutes
Misconceptions7 minutes
What Is Entrepreneurship?3 minutes
Where Do Ideas Come From?8 minutes
The Challenge5 minutes
The Human Side of the Story7 minutes
Principles for Navigating Early-Stage Entrepreneurship5 minutes
Winning Support10 minutes

5 readingsTotal 50 minutes

Syllabus10 minutes
Coursera Coach10 minutes
About the Discussion Forums10 minutes
Updating Your Profile10 minutes
Module 1 Overview10 minutes

9 assignmentsTotal 120 minutes

Orientation Quiz30 minutes
Misconceptions Practice Quiz5 minutes
What Is Entrepreneurship? Practice Quiz5 minutes
Where Do Ideas Come From? Practice Quiz5 minutes
The Challenge Practice Quiz5 minutes
The Human Side of Entrepreneurship Practice Quiz5 minutes
Principles for Navigating Early-Stage Entrepreneurship Practice Quiz5 minutes
Winning Support Practice Quiz30 minutes
Foundations of Entrepreneurship Graded Quiz30 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Getting to Know Your Classmates10 minutes

1 pluginTotal 15 minutes

Welcome! Please Tell Us About Yourself to be adjusted to Demographic Survey15 minutes

This module focuses on identifying real customer problems before committing to a solution. It introduces customer discovery, jobs-to-be-done, problem quality, market sizing, industry structure, and intellectual property regimes as tools for identifying opportunities and evaluating whether they are worth pursuing. The central goal is to help learners understand not just whether a problem exists, but whether it is severe, frequent, large enough, and structurally viable for a venture.

What's included

8 videos1 reading8 assignments

8 videosTotal 62 minutes

Module 2 Introduction5 minutes
The Logic of Customer Discovery9 minutes
Jobs to Be Done9 minutes
Customer Discovery Interview Best Practices10 minutes
Pain Points4 minutes
Market Sizing Basics10 minutes
Industry Structure and Competitive Dynamics9 minutes
Intellectual Property and Value Capture7 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Module 2 Overview10 minutes

8 assignmentsTotal 65 minutes

The Logic of Customer Discovery Practice Quiz5 minutes
Jobs to Be Done Practice Quiz5 minutes
Customer Discovery Interview Best Practices Practice Quiz5 minutes
Pain Points Practice Quiz5 minutes
Market Sizing Basics Practice Quiz5 minutes
Industry Structure and Competitive Dynamics Practice Quiz5 minutes
Intellectual Property and Value Capture Practice Quiz5 minutes
Customer Discovery Graded Quiz30 minutes

This module is focused on how entrepreneurs can build and motivate teams.

What's included

10 videos1 reading10 assignments

10 videosTotal 68 minutes

Module 3 Introduction5 minutes
Entrepreneurship Is a Team Sport5 minutes
How Founding Teams Come Together11 minutes
Evaluating Co-Founder Fit6 minutes
Defining Roles9 minutes
Team Diversity4 minutes
How to Have a Good Fight6 minutes
Culture and Ethics5 minutes
Equity Splits and Compensation9 minutes
Legal Structure and Rich vs. King9 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Module 3 Overview10 minutes

10 assignmentsTotal 75 minutes

Entrepreneurship Is a Team Sport Practice Quiz5 minutes
How Founding Teams Come Together Practice Quiz5 minutes
Evaluating Co-Founder Fit Practice Quiz5 minutes
Defining Roles Practice Quiz5 minutes
Team Diversity Practice Quiz5 minutes
How to Have a Good Fight Practice Quiz5 minutes
Culture and Ethics Practice Quiz5 minutes
Equity Splits and Compensation Practice Quiz5 minutes
Legal Structure and Rich vs. King Practice Quiz5 minutes
Building and Managing Founding Teams Graded Quiz30 minutes

This module moves from understanding a problem to designing a viable business around it. It explains how value propositions, positioning, business model archetypes, revenue models, channels, early traction, and strategic alignment work together to create and capture value. The central goal is to help learners design a business model that ﬁts the customer, the market, and the venture’s resources.

What's included

10 videos3 readings10 assignments

10 videosTotal 77 minutes

From Discovery to Design5 minutes
Understanding Value Propositions10 minutes
Positioning Against Alternatives10 minutes
Business Model Archetypes11 minutes
Understanding How Money Flows9 minutes
Choosing Your Channels9 minutes
Early Traction and Launch Sequencing6 minutes
Strategy as Alignment10 minutes
Business Models Are All Around5 minutes
Learn on Your Terms1 minute

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

Module 4 Overview10 minutes
Congratulations on completing the course!10 minutes
Get Your Course Certificate10 minutes

10 assignmentsTotal 75 minutes

From Discovery to Design5 minutes
Understanding Value Propositions Practice Quiz5 minutes
Positioning Against Alternatives Practice Quiz5 minutes
Business Model Archetypes Practice Quiz5 minutes
Understanding How Money Flows Practice Quiz5 minutes
Choosing Your Channels Practice Quiz5 minutes
Early Traction and Launch Sequencing Practice Quiz5 minutes
Strategy as Alignment Practice Quiz5 minutes
Business Models Are All Around Practice Quiz5 minutes
Business Models, Positioning, and Value Capture Graded Quiz30 minutes

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Build toward a degree

This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(363 ratings)

Thomas E. Parkinson

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

6 Courses76,457 learners

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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Reviewed on Aug 9, 2020

I am too much impressed to get such a International course in online platform. Thank you so much my Prof. Mr. Parkinson and my classmates to help me to complete this course successfully.

Reviewed on Jun 12, 2020

it was best on line learning and my time dint go wasted.. its really informative, interesting moreover you learn alots.. thank you very much.. ILLINOUS

Reviewed on Aug 21, 2020

I learned a lot about business and development my business basic skillsReally it is very very important for me

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