Digital Entrepreneurship Sprint

Abstract

The seminar aims at students from HSG and ETH Zürich who are motivated to push their own business idea forward or want to act as co-founders.They should be interested in aspirational business ideas with a technology focus and perceive entrepreneurship as a career option.

Objective

The seminar provides insights into conceptual knowledge and methods for the development of scalable business models. Through interdisciplinary exchange (HSG & ETHZ students), lecturers from the participating institutions, entrepreneurs and investors participants will learn methods and approaches to validate and pitch innovative business ideas.

Content

The seminar consists of four all-day sessions (Feb 27 & 28 / March 6 & 7): Part 1 - The business idea and team-matching Part 2 - Validation, prototyping & testing Part 3 - Business Modells, metrics and financials Part 4 - The business concept presentation The first two days will take place at ETHZ whereas the final two days take place in St. Gallen. Travel costs will not be reimbursed. The task throughout the course will be to develop a technology-oriented, knowledge-intensive and sustainable business idea in teams of three to four students. Starting from the business idea, students will develop a business model which shows in detail the sustainability over a medium term. The subsequent quantification of the business model will lead to a comprehensive business concept, which has to be visualized and presented in form of a pitch deck. The students will be coached intensively by the lecturers. The connection to practice is provided by the involvement of entrepreneurs and investors. Throughout the course, company and equity financing will be taught. Highly promising business ideas can be promoted further by the lecturers and the HSG Gründer Lab. Next to the active participation during the lectures (30%), two presentations of the business concept (30%) as well as the final version of the business concept (40%) will be graded. After the presentation, the students will have time to complement the pitch deck with further product-, technology-, market- and financial-related information and to implement the jury's feedback.

Resources