Value Creation Through Innovation Specialization

This Innovation and Entrepreneurship course focuses on the interconnection between entrepreneurial thinking and innovation. Specifically, we look at models used in Silicon Valley to grow both start-up companies as well as innovation inside large organizations. Bringing together top Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley faculty, this course addresses critical areas for successful growth, including design thinking, open innovation, business models, product-market fit, and financing. This course will teach you how to think like an entrepreneur and provides the models, tools and frameworks to further develop your business or idea. An emphasis will be placed on the IT space.

In this second part, From Design Thinking to Funding, the following areas are included: design thinking; innovation cycle process; business modeling; and funding.

You live a hands-on life, and you intend to continue doing so! That is why I guess you already have checked where the QR-code (the logo) for this course leads to, right?

And it is in this kind of setting that you prefer hands-on learning. Things you can do, already today are something you value. You actually did not start this course when enrolling in it. You started it long ago, either as a customer somewhere, or just maybe thinking about marketing for some time. Or maybe you are already working in marketing for yourself or maybe your own company. In all these situations what matters is action. Action that contributes to your marketing journey. This is the reason why we will start of with a situation “as if” you were starting up the sales process in a company where no previous customers existed. Gradually your sales efforts give results, you get customers, and handling the market expansion becomes important. If somewhat lucky, in practice that is the way it goes. The course begins with the art of cold calling (attacking the ones that did not know you exist - the most tricky ones) and analyzing the potential customers, then gradually moves over to segmentation, positioning, closing the deal, competition, marketing strategy, and market expansion. It is normally in that order it develops in practice. The curriculum includes general basic marketing theories as well modern digital marketing issues like onboarding, conversion, and retention, experimental marketing, and pivoting. The course includes a number of assignments to facilitate your learning – some of them compulsory. All of them are hopefully practically useful for you already today. On one hand, this is a basic course. There is far more in this than we are able to cover here. But the Marketing Strategy for Entrepreneurs course will prepare you for some of the most common marketing and sales efforts needed for technology-based companies. Later on, you will learn more. Maybe here or somewhere else. Hope you enjoy it. Good learning has to be fun! So if the course is not fun enough for you: Please let us know!

Time to test your knowledge! You are ready - this course breaks it all down to one major assignment per week! This capstone course is the final course of the Value Creation Through Innovation Specialization. The specialization covers technology bases innovation and transformation and how to spot and to capitalize on emerging opportunities. UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and KTH Royal Institute of Technology are the academic partners in the Value Creation Through Innovation Specialization.

In this capstone project you will utilized the methods introduced in the courses The Impact of Technology, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Marketing Strategy for Entrepreneurs, and show that you master them. You should be able to show knowledge and judgment regarding when and how to utilize what method and approach. You will throughout the capstone project work on one project that you select yourself. Each week you will be given one major assignment to complete, and later to review.