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CMSC 155 - Technopreneurship

Course Description

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of starting and growing a technology-based venture. It covers topics such as ideation, opportunity recognition, business model creation, product development, market analysis, funding, and scaling. The course will provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop a business plan and pitch their ideas to investors.

Course Learning Outcomes

After completion of the course, the student should be able to:

1. Understand the key concepts and principles of technopreneurship;
2. Identify and evaluate technology-based business opportunities;
3. Develop and validate a business model;
4. Conduct market analysis and research;
5. Build a product and create a minimum viable product (MVP);
6. Identify and secure funding sources for a venture;
7. Develop and deliver an effective pitch to investors; and
8. Understand the legal and ethical considerations involved in technopreneurship.

Course Outline

UNIT 1. Kickoff Course Intro

UNIT 2. KnowWho pitches, seeding Panel, opportunity identification, innovation canvass, self-profiling

UNIT 3. KnowHow - Round-robin pitching, first pivot, lean startup case study, ideas database

UNIT 4. Venture proposal

UNIT 5. One day validation / Team Formation

UNIT 6. User story, User interface / User experience design sprint

UNIT 7. Problem / User story validation

UNIT 8. Low fidelity MVP

UNIT 9. LoFi MVP Validation

UNIT 10. Scrum Plan

UNIT 11. Channels, sales

UNIT 12. Production cost

UNIT 13. IP and tech transfer

UNIT 14. High Implementation Proposal

UNIT 15. HiFi MVP Validation

UNIT 16. Practice Pitch

UNIT 17. Demo Day