COURSE NUMBER: MBA295T.1

COURSE TITLE: Startup Lab

UNITS OF CREDIT: 2.0

INSTRUCTORS: Whitney Hischier

E-MAIL ADDRESSES:  hischier@haas.berkeley.edu

PREREQUISITE(S): Completion of Core

CLASS FORMAT:  classes will be a mix of lectures, guest speakers and focus on outside client project work.

REQUIRED READINGS:  no required readings

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Assignments, participation, final project, client feedback, team feedback.

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
The Startup Lab is a project-based experiential learning course that teams UC Berkeley students with local early to mid-stage startups (less than 100 people) in an effort to execute consulting projects that identify, frame and address strategic business challenges. Students will work directly with either the founder or a member of the executive team.  Throughout the course, students will gain experience working within agile and dynamic startup environments while applying their academic knowledge in an entrepreneurial context.  This course fulfills the BILD requirement for the MBA.
By the end of the course, students will have:
•             Learned and refined consulting skills and project management;
•             Developed a strong understanding of good stakeholder management;
•             Applied the business principles learned in core classes to a real-world global setting;
•             Developed industry knowledge in a focused area;
•             Worked in a dynamic team environment;
•             Scout opportunities for future internships and jobs in the startup space

CAREER FIELDS:  Entrepreneurship, Consulting, Project Management

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
Whitney Hischier is a lecturer at Haas in the areas of management and entrepreneurship for the MBA, undergrad and executive education programs.   Previously, she was the Assistant Dean for Executive Education at Haas where she built a $20m organization.  Prior to Haas, Whitney was a consultant in the US and Europe for KPMG, ABN Amro Bank, and Deloitte. Her first job out of college was working for a 5 person startup in a backyard poolhouse in Woodside which made a fuzzy felt-type product for kids. She holds a BA in International Relations from Stanford University and an MBA from Haas with a Certificate in Healthcare Management.