The New York Times wrote an article recently about The Founder Institute, which is a educational institute in California started in 2009 which is focused solely on helping students start their own company. As the article points out, you actually have to have an idea for your company before you enter the classroom. The company claims that it has helped start over 500 companies and helps students learn how to raise money. The results don't seem to bad. The acceptance rates are low as are the graduation rates but this is by design. The hurdle rates have to be high to weed out those who aren't serious about spending the time and energy it takes to create your company.
So, the first thing you may be thinking is:
1) This sounds like for-profit education (it is).
2) Isn't this what business school is for?
Business school curriculums may help you become a global business leader, but it most likely will not teach you how to structure your LLC, how to trademark your company, or what type of promote structure you should use. As more and more individuals are starting their own company, I think it makes sense for there to exist education which focuses on taking individuals from the theoretical land of "I would like to..." to the practical "let's figure out how to get this done." Many business schools are starting to incorporate entreprenurial classes into their curriculum, but I think the start-up education is best learned outside of a case study, in the real world, with students who are motivated to get their company off the ground.
2 comments:
CBS and Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center at Columbia wants to carry the education beyond the limitations of case studies. We don't have to look too far. Our Digital Marketing class offers a real world experience where students consult for a start-up on digital marketing. In addition to Professor Kagan's wonderful Digital Marketing class, CBS is gearing up to offer a new class: the Lean Launchpad.
Steve Blank accepted the invitation by Murray Low, and will teach the five-day class late August 2012. Here is more information about Steve Blank and his Lean Launchpad class: http://steveblank.com/2012/04/28/five-days-to-change-the-world-the-columbia-lean-launchpad-class/
I'm currently taking a class teach by Steve's Blank co-authur Bob Dorf. The class is called Introduction venturing. Its quite a great class as we need to come up with our ideas and we develop those idea as class progress.
If you want to be an entrepreneur, then might well take these class in fall.
Post a Comment