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Tutor Office Hours

Location: Office 811, Appleton Tower, School of Informatics, the University of Edinburgh.

Time: Between 18:00 and 20:00

Date:
Every Monday night except March 3rd.

Assessed Coursework:

Written examination (60%). Business Plan (40%), to be submitted at the end of the course. There will be an unassessed presentation in the form of a pitch and defence of the business plan to a panel including invited investors. Due Date Business Plan: Due to the ITO, Appleton Tower by 12.00 Noon on Friday, 18th April, 2008 Business Plan Pitch: Due to the ITO, Appleton Tower by 12.00 Noon on Friday, 19th April, 2008 Pitching Day: 9:00am to 9:00pm, 24th April 2008. Venue to be decided later. Exam Date: T.B.D. Tutorial: A two hour tutorial is required attendance, and will cover two areas: 1) Writing-up your business plan 2) Drafting a presentation

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course students will be able to:

Evaluate business opportunities and challenges in growing ICT markets

Conduct background research in order to identify emerging opportunities

Identify and analyze competition using Porter's five forces model

Formulate strategies for starting and growing a new venture

Analyze complex environments and operations in startup business cases

Identify the characteristics of a solid business plan to investors

Model financial statements, including five year projections, for a business plan

Write a credible formal business plan, executive summary, and slide presentation

Evaluate and apply human resource management strategies

Describe the marketplace and processes for early stage financing of high risk ventures

Understand the use of various mechanisms of finance: equity, debt, leasing, bootstrapping, grants

Understand the benefits of programmes offered through organizations such as the University of Edinburgh, Scottish Enterprise, other local institutions that assist startup entrepreneurs and SMEs

Short Description:

Informatics Entrepreneurship 2 is the follow-on course to Informatics Entrepreneurship 1. Using the opportunity assessment that was constructed in this predecessor course, students will move their ideas for a high-technology business in the Informatics area towards commercialization through undertaking a rigorous business planning process. This will include: further market analysis, competition research and analysis, building competitive advantage, the development of marketing strategy including sales plans, the building of a human resource strategy and management plan, business modeling, presentation development and pitching, and projecting the financial performance of the new venture. The outputs of the course will include a fully developed business plan including financial and executive summary, and a slide-based presentation. These documents will compliment a team presentation to a panel of venture capitalists and business angel investors. Some student teams may be positioned to pursue proof-of-concept funding. A written examination will cover specific technical, financial and theoretical aspects of the course.

- Define competitive advantage + its components
- Explain the definition of a brand + form strategy to build brand from the early stages of a new venture.

Session
09

Marketing, Branding, & Building Competitive Advantage

14:00 - 15:50

Tue.

19 Feb. 2008

Location: (BP)

Vish Mishra
Senior Venture Partner
Clearstone Venture

Required Readings

- Dorf and Byers: Chapters 11
- Dorf and Byers: Case study, Wordigo

Optional Readings

- Crossing the Chasm
- Pour your Heart Into It
- The Power of Unfair Advantage: How to Create it, Build it, and Use it to Maximum Effect
- Hard Drive: Bill Gates & the Making of the Microsoft Empire

Online Resources

- Purpose of a business plan
- Why Silicon Valley 4.0 Will Never Happen

Learning Outcomes:

- Watch Session Video here

Session Resources:

- Identify the characteristics of a solid business plan to investors.
- Understand the use of various mechanisms of finance: equity, debt, leasing, bootstrapping, grants

Session
12

Financing the Venture

14:00 - 15:50

Tue.

18 Mar. 2008

Location: (WRB)

Trevor Loy
Managing Partner
Flywheel Ventures

Required Readings

- Handouts
- Dorf and Byers: Chapters 16 to 19

Optional Readings

- eBoys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work
- Done Deals: Venture Capitalists Tell Their Stories

Online Resources

- Bootstrapping
- Common Mistake:   Treating VC money as   your own
- Pricewaterhouse   Cooper Money Tree
- Sequoia Capital
- Kleiner Perkins   Caufield and Byers
- Vinod Khosla: Cycles of   Greed and Fear
- What do VC’s look at?
- Large and Small Funds
- Flywheel Ventures
- Venture Capital vs.   Corporate Funding
- The Essentials of the   Venture Finance   Process
- Creating a Company   out of a Founder
- The Best Money:   Customer Money

Learning Outcomes:

- View Session Slides here
- Watch Session Video here

Session Resources:

- Evaluate and apply human resource management strategies

Session
07

Human Resource Strategy

14:00 - 15:50

Tue.

12 Feb. 2008

Location: (DHT)

Mike Lyons
Founder
Stanford Technology Ventures Programme

Required Readings

- Dorf and Byers Chapter 12, 14, 15 and 20

Optional Readings

- Bootstrap by Kenneth Hess.
- Weird Ideas that Work by Robert Sutton.

Online Resources

- Jeff Hawkins, Company   Culture
- Incentive Stock   Options: FAQs
- Trust & Honesty at the   Workplace
- Vinod Khosla: Strength   of a Team
- Five Biggest Mistakes   that Entrepreneurs   Make
- Recruiting a   Passionate, All Start   Team
- The Ideal Team
- Hybrid Leaders
- Training &   Accountability

Learning Outcomes:

- Watch Session Video here

Session Resources:

- Learn the basics of sales strategy.
- Develop sales plan for chosen opportunity.

Session 06

Selling -and- to Be a Serial Entrepreneur

14:00 - 15:50

Tue.

05 Feb. 2008

Location: (BP)

Stephen Moffat
Internet Entrepreneur
www.huan.co.uk

Required Readings

- Dorf and Byers Ch. 9 and 10.

Optional Readings

- Handouts to be provided in class.

Online Resources

- Market position & the   importance of   partnerships
- Positioning: Space   Travel
- Know thyself, and Niche   thyself
- Seed the Clouds and   Watch the Sales Grow
- Everything you Wanted   to Know about Selling   but were afraid to ask

Learning Outcomes:

- Watch Session Video here

Session Resources:

- Identify and analyze competition using   Porter's five forces model.
- Develop further understanding of the   market research projects.
- Create plan + goals for further market   research of opportunity set forth by   team in IE 1.

Session
03

Market and Competitive Research

14:00 - 15:50

Tue.

22 Jan. 2008

Location: (DHT)

Mike Masnick
President and CEO
Techdirt

Required Readings

- Dorf and Byers Chapter (1)

Optional Readings

- The High-tech Entre- preneur's Handbook

Online Resources

- Role of Market   Research
- Heidi Rozen (1998)   Career Strategy
- Vermeer Technologies
- Jeff Hawkins,   Handspring
- Vinod Khosla: Bit by   the Entrepreneur’s Bug
- Guy Kawasaki on   Passion
- Frank Levison: 10   things you must do   before starting a   business
- Entrepreneurs: Then   and now

Learning Outcomes:

- Watch Session Video here

Session Resources:

- Formulate Product + Service development strategies.

Session
10

Design and Marketing Strategy

14:00 - 15:50

Tue.

26 Feb. 2008

Location: (DHT)

David Law
Founder
Speck Desig

Required Readings

- Dorf and Byers Chapters 6,7 and 8

Optional Readings

- Ferguson , Charles “High Stakes no Prisoners”

Online Resources

- The best time to start   a company
- Why be an   entrepreneur now?
- History of Packet   Design
- Designing Successful   Products

Learning Outcomes:

- Watch Session Video here

Session Resources:

- Grasp a variety of business models.
- Create new business models   conceptually.
- Model financial projections especially   revenue models using spreadsheets.
- Innovate current opportunity business   model further.

Session
05

Business Modeling and Strategy

14:00 - 15:50

Tue.

29 Jan. 2008

Location: (BP)

Dave McClure
Entrepreneur
500 Hats

Required Readings

- Dorf and Byers Chapter   2, 3, 4 and 5
- Dorf and Byers:   Appendix A: Business   plans for 1) Guard   Distal Protection   System; and 2) I-MOS   Semiconductors
- How to Write a Great   Business Plan by   William Sahlman
- What Is Web 2.0

Optional Readings

- High Tech Startup by John Nesheim

Online Resources

- Moxi
- Innovation in Business   Models
- Personal Connectivity   Cycle
- Users, not money or IP   are what matters
- eBay and PayPal:   Going Global

Learning Outcomes:

- View Session Slides here
- Watch Session Video here

Session Resources:

- Be able to apply basic principals of   analysis to and understand   the difference between balance sheets,   profit and loss statements, and cash   flow statements.
- Articulate why it is important to   understand productive vs. non-   productive assets
- Identify the essentials of a balance   sheet, cash flow statement and   profit and loss statment

Session
02

Accounting and Finance

14:00 - 15:50

Tue.

15 Jan. 2008

Location: (DHT)

Mike Clouser
Associate
The Edinburgh-Stanford Link

Required Readings

- Handouts

Optional Readings

- International M & A and Joint Ventures

Online Resources

- The Importance of Cash Flow
- How to Read a Financial Report
- What is Microfinance

Learning Outcomes:

- Download Session Slides here

Session Resources:

- This idea workshop will give you an opportunity to interact with technology company executives. Also, we will learn about incubators by touring thenew Alba Centre in Livingston , Scotland .

Session
04

TechDirt Greenhouse (Optional)

10:00 - 17:00

Fri.

25 Jan. 2007

Location: (AIC)

Mike Masnick
President and CEO
Techdirt

Liza Sutherland
Advisor
Alba Centre

Mike Clouser
Associate
Edinburgh-Stanford Linkl

Details

- A coach is available for free for all Informatics Entrepreneurship students who wish to use it. We will leave promptly from George Square – in front of Appleton Tower 10.00. Lunch will be served complimentary to students. We will arrive back to campus at approximately 17.00

Location Details

- Alba Innovation Centre,   Alba Campus,   Livingston, EH54 7EG
  T: 01506 402 470
  F: 01506 402 471

Online Resources

- Alba Centre

Learning Outcomes:

- Build a world-class presentation
- Learn the art of pitching an opportunity to early stakeholders

Session 11

Presentation and Pitching

14:00 - 15:50

Tue.

11 Mar. 2008

Location: (DHT)

Bill Joos
Vice President
Garage Technology Ventures

Required Readings:

- Friday 01/02/08
from 19:00 to 22:00
in Alison House

Optional Readings:

- Start Small, Finish Big
- The Beermat Entrepreneur: Turn Your Good Idea into A Great Business

Online Resources

- Bill Joos Blog
- Assume Short Buildings
- Garage Technology Ventures
- Tips for a Good Pitch
- The importance of a good presentation
- Make a Great Pitch
- Google and the Pitch

Learning Outcomes:

- Watch Session Video here

Session Resources:

- View Session Slides here
- Watch Session Video here

- Explore entrepreneurial networking both   online and off.
- Appreciate networking as a lifelong   strategy.
- Learn how to market yourself and   develop your own elevator pitch.
- Plan a self-driven networking strategy.
- Compile toolbox of networking tools.
- Overcome fear of people and of meeting   new people cold. Location Details: \   Conference room.

Session
08

Building A Network (Optional)

18:30 - 21:30

Tue.

12 Feb. 2008

Location: (OC)

Mike Lyons
Founder
Stanford Technology Ventures Programme

Required Readings

- Handouts

Optional Readings

- "The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki

Online Resources

- STVP: Importance   of Networking
- STVP: The Role of   Networking to Find the   Best Resources
- STVP: Spinoffs
- STVP: Helping Teams   Work Together
- Stanford   Entrepreneurship   Network
- STVP: The Surge of   Social Entrepreneurship
- STVP: Failures