“The world needs more entrepreneurs!” This course is a rigorous, decision-making simulator for aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage investors. We move beyond tactical iteration to focus on the foundational strategic choices that determine whether a pre-revenue, pre-product startup is built to win. The class is explicitly designed to prepare students for launching a new venture (including the Polsky New Venture Challenge, NVC) and for competitive internships and full-time roles in venture capital.
Our methodology is built on a dual-track approach. In every session, we will spend half our time in the Founder's Playbook, learning to build a defensible venture, and the other half in the Investor's Playbook, learning to analyze and make bets on those ventures.
By synthesizing reality-tested frameworks (examples, POP!, 8 Strategy Models, Aulet's 24 Steps) with the realities of the 2025 new venture landscape, you will develop a repeatable process for assessing opportunities, crafting strategy, and communicating it with the clarity and conviction required to raise capital and build a high-growth business.
