Seminar: New Venture Creation
This course is as close as it gets to founding your own company!
Based on the lean startup methodology, you will work out an idea for a company and try it out in the market. You will think about your financials, your operations, your sales approach, etc. Overall, you will think about everything you should think about when starting a business from scratch. WHU Incubator, experienced entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and business angels will support you during (bi-)weekly individual coaching sessions. The course focuses strongly on work outside of the classroom and insights gained from real customers. These insights and the coaching sessions help you to constantly improve your idea over time and tremendously increase your chances of success.
The class culminates in the final demo day. On the demo day, you will pitch your company to us. In addition to chair representatives, there will be actual business angels/ VCs in the audience, who might be willing to invest into your company.
For some students, the endeavor of founding their own company ends with their final presentation in this course. Others might want to continue working on their idea and actually found their company right after WHU. Either way, this course is a great way to get a feeling of what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Over the years, many startups such as Barzahlen or Evopark have started in this course.
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday, 22.01.2024 | 15:30 - 18:45 |
| Thursday, 01.02.2024 | 09:00 - 13:00 |
| Friday, 09.02.2024 | 15:30 - 18:45 |
| Thursday, 22.02.2024 | 15:30 - 18:45 |
| Tuesday, 05.03.2024 | 15:30 - 18:45 |
| Wednesday, 13.03.2024 | 10:00 - 18:00 |
- Individual group coaching sessions (with WHU Incubator & experienced entrepreneurs & investors)
- Group work outside of class based on lean startup methodology
- Final business idea pitch in front of jury
o 1-page executive summary (PDF)
o 5-to-15-slide presentation (PowerPoint)
o Appendix (PowerPoint and/ or Excel) for supporting materials, e.g., calculations and assumptions
o Optional: website, app mockup, video, etc. - your choice
Final Presentation: 40%
o Oral
o max. 10 minutes for your pitch (for matters of fairness, timing will be strictly enforced)
o ~10 minutes Q&A with jury
Participation/ Other: 20%
o Show up well prepared to your coaching sessions, make constant progress, implement feedback