Please note that this course description has not been updated.  This is the Fall 2014 version of the course description.

COURSE NUMBER: MBA295T.2

COURSE TITLE: Social Lean LaunchPad

UNITS OF CREDIT: 3.0

INSTRUCTORS: Jorge Calderon & Will Rosenzweig

E-MAIL ADDRESS: jorge@impactstrategyadvisors.com; wbrose@physicventures.com

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://bspace.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Wednesdays; Class Hours 6:00-9:00 PM, Office Hours 5:00-6:00 PM

PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT: Project-based, with a mixture of Lectures, Cases and Speakers

REQUIRED READINGS: Required--Cases and Course Reader; Optional--Suggested Readings

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Project Deliverables, Participation & Final Team Presentation

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES: How do you design and launch a new venture whose business model intentionally integrates financial objectives with measurable social and/or environmental outputs?

This unique class strives to create the conditions where students become Social Venture designers, founders and leaders. In ten weeks, students work in interdisciplinary teams at an accelerated pace to practice the steps integral to starting a social venture.  Personal and organizational leadership is emphasized through every stage of the process.

This course utilizes the Lean Launchpad and the Social Blueprint Business Design methodologies to frame the integral insights, strategies and practices that distinguish social ventures, including:  vision & values, innovative company legal structures, constitutional documents, stakeholder enrollment, business model design, and social impact assessment.

Class instruction is project-centered and action-oriented.  Project activities are complimented with short lectures, case discussion, peer facilitation and guest practitioners.  Student teams are responsible for identifying and framing compelling unmet needs, developing concepts and solutions, defining organizational vision and values, building business cases, designing preliminary products or services, defining impact measurements, outlining organizational plans, identifying capital sources, analyzing potential legal structures and developing a milestone-driven implementation plan.  Teams spend the majority of their outside class time performing direct primary research (interviews and surveys with stakeholders) and completing staged work outputs.  

As part of the course, each team is matched with accomplished practitioners who have graciously volunteered their time to serve as social venture mentor coaches.  At the conclusion of the course, student teams present their plans to a panel of industry experts, investors, student peers, and faculty.

Students should arrive with some sense of the environmental and/or societal problems they hope to address.  Students who have not already formed a team (maximum five students per team) prior to the first class will have an opportunity to create a new team (minimum two students per team) or join an existing team that matches their interests.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

William Rosenzweig

William has spent more than 25 years integrating the practices and perspectives of an entrepreneur, venture investor, and educator. He is co-founder and Managing Partner at Physic Ventures, the first venture capital firm that invests in keeping people healthy by providing capital and expertise to science and technology-based, health and sustainability companies. William was founding CEO of The Republic of Tea, and has been involved in growing the healthy food industry through his work as an entrepreneur and investor at LeapFrog, Odwalla, Stonyfield Farms, GoodGuide, Revolution Foods and Yummly.

In 2013, Will was named chairman of the Vitality Institute Commission, a national effort focused on promoting health and well-being and preventing chronic disease. In 2010, he was selected by a committee of Nobel Laureates for the Oslo Business for Peace Award, presented jointly by the Business for Peace Foundation and International Chamber of Commerce in Norway.

William co-authored the bestselling book The Republic of Tea: How an Idea Becomes a Business (Doubleday 1992), which was recently named one of the 100 Best Business Books of all time. In 2014, Will was named on the Purpose Economy 100 list of leaders who are “the first to research, develop, and shape markets that foster community, expression, and impact.”

For 10 years, William taught MBA courses at the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley. He continues to serve as chair of the advisory board for the Global Social Venture Competition and has been a visiting faculty member at London Business School.

Jorge Calderon

As the founder and Managing Director for Impact Strategy Advisors, Jorge provides enterprise and capital clients with purpose economy tailored strategy and investment guidance.

Mr. Calderon is a career entrepreneur, management consultant, investment professional and educator.  In addition to starting Impact Strategy Advisors, Jorge founded Springworks (an organization dedicated to growing diversity in the innovation ecosystem) and designed several novel business frameworks including the Social Blueprint and the Sidecar Option Fund Model. 

Previously, Mr. Calderon was the founding Director for the West Coast office of a small seed stage venture capital firm and has had roles in top tier management consulting, banking and technology companies.  

Jorge lives in the Bay Area and is deeply engaged in a variety of other civic organizations.  He is a University of Michigan graduate and received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.