Advanced Certificate In Entrepreneurship (Building Your First Startup)

Building your first startup can be an exciting but challenging experience! Many of the ideas you might want to pursue come with both opportunities and limitations that can be better analysed with a structured approach towards risk-taking.

This programme brings participants in the cycle of building their first startup, from identifying the right opportunity, building rapid prototypes, testing it to pitching the idea to investors and customers. Participants will learn the process with seasoned entrepreneurs and practitioners who have built their own successful startups.

Topics/Structure:

Module 1: Conceptualisation

• What problems do you face in your startup? How then do you decide what opportunity you should pursue when there are so many problems out there in the world today? This module brings you through a rapid problem to ideas generation process and narrows it down on your top 3 opportunities to pursue, using lean business model canvas to design workable solutions.

Module 2: Validation

• Now you have a solution to the problem, but is the solution actually going to be purchased and used by your user? In this module, take your solution hypothesis out in the real world and gather feedback to determine which avenue to pursue and which solutions are not workable.

Module 3: Building

• Time to get your hands dirty! You identified the top solution you want to pursue, now to build a quick prototype to test with even more customers. Learn about how to build something without any codes and deciding what is your minimum viable product to use.

Module 4: Test & Iterate

• Take your solution out there and get it tested. Collect feedback and adjust the prototype as you see what is relevant and what is not. In this module, get an understanding of good product management, testing using frameworks and collecting customers' feedback.

Module 5: Pitch

• A successful pitch has many elements to it from the problem you are trying to solve to market sizing and team composition before the final ask. In this module, work on your first pitch deck collaboratively with experienced entrepreneurs and investors and get ready for your first pitch.