COURSE NUMBER: MBA295A.1
COURSE TITLE: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 units
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Kurt Beyer & Anne Leschin (TBD)
E-MAIL ADDRESS: kurt_beyer@berkeley.edu
PREREQUISITES: None
CLASS FORMAT: Mixture of lectures, workshops, cases, team projects and guest speakers.
REQUIRED READINGS: The course will have one book (Tipping Point by Gladwell) and also rely on readings and other materials available on study.net.
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: This is a comprehensive course focused on entrepreneurship and innovation. Grades will be based on individual and team assignments and participation.
CAREER FIELD: See abstract below.
ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
Entrepreneurship is one of the most rewarding yet difficult
endeavors. It is the attempt to define and bring into being a product or
service that does not exist. It is the intense belief in a distinct
future; a future that is then created by the entrepreneur and his or her
team. Oftentimes the entrepreneur has limited resources to accomplish
such a task, which makes the entire enterprise even more precarious...and
rewarding.
295A is the gateway to the Haas Entrepreneurship Program and is designed for
both those students who are committed to starting a new venture as well as
those who want a better understanding the tools, techniques, and theory behind
this dynamic business process. The course focuses on the entrepreneur as a
leader and manager of change. Through the semester we will provide the critical
tools and strategies addressing product development, market segmentation and
analysis, financial modeling, fundraising, and customer development.
Innovation theory and case studies will be supported by live case examples from
some of the most successful local entrepreneurs and alumni, taking full
advantage of Berkeley's unique proximity to San Francisco and Silicon
Valley.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
Dr. Kurt Beyer is a member of UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School
and Graduate School of Information Science faculties, where he teachings the
entrepreneurship program to MBAs, undergrads, and grad students. The
program produces multiple promising startups each year including recent
successes Indiegogo, Tubemogul, Magoosh, Mobileworks, Traveling Spoon,
Plushcare, Noglo, Socialwire, and Vires Aerospace. Former students hold
prominent positions at successful startups Uber, Pinterest, Postmates, Clever,
Elance, LiveRamp, Kenshoo, and Education Elements. Kurt also serves
as a senior partner at Parallel Advisors where is advises executives at recent
IPO startups Yelp and Marin Software in addition to many successful earlier
stage companies.
Prior to joining Berkeley and Parallel Advisors Kurt was a faculty member at
the United States Naval Academy and founder of Riptopia Digital Media
where he served as CEO for 6 years. During the 1990s Kurt flew F-14
Tomcats and was assigned to a fighter squadron at Naval Air Station Oceana in
Virginia Beach. Injury cut his naval career short, and Kurt was honorably
discharged, receiving a Navy Commendation Medal and National Defense Service
Medal.
Kurt is the author of Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age,
published by MIT Press in 2010, which highlights the rise of the computer
industry through the amazing career of Grace Hopper, the woman responsible for
the development of computer programming. The book was in the Top 10
Science/Technology books for 2010/2011 and is the basis for a 2015 ESPN
documentary. http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12205119
Kurt earned his BS in engineering and history from the U.S. Naval Academy where
he served as Brigade Commander senior year. He received an MA in
economics and philosophy from Oxford University, and a PhD in the history of
science and technology and economic history from UC Berkeley. Born and
raised by an immigrant working class family on Long Island, Kurt now makes his
home in Marin County with his wife Johanna and two sons Charlie and Gus.
http://facultybio.haas.berkeley.edu/faculty-list/beyer-kurt
http://www.linkedin.com/in/drkurtbeyer
Twitter:drkurtbeyer