From an Idea to 1 Million Dollar Company. How to Launch, Develop and Exit a Startup?

The course has been prepared as part of the project entitled "Platon. Online educational courses for students" (project number: POWR.03.01.00-00-W071/18). Project co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund – Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development.

The course is intended for students, entrepreneurs and people who plan to set up a startup. The course includes practical advice, case studies and the necessary theory in the field of business creation in the lean startup methodology. All the examples are from recent years and are easy to understand for the starting entrepreneur or student. The authors of the course, as active entrepreneurs, also share their experiences and insights on the startup, paying attention to the Polish and international context.

Here you can find Polish version of this course.

PREREQUISITES

Basic knowledge of management, new technologies and an interest in running a business is recommended.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• You will gain the knowledge you need to run a startup, from an idea, through development, to an exit strategy.
• You will learn the basic measures of the strategy's success and you will learn when to change the plan.
• You will learn to use the basic tools of lean startup methodology as well as classic management.
• You will write a simplified business plan (business model canvas).
• You will solve case studies in the field of management based on examples from Polish and international companies.
• You will learn what mistakes to avoid when running and developing a startup.

COURSE CONTENT

MODULE 1. Why are you starting a business?

In module 1 you will consider why people decide to start their own business. You will see how a startup differs from a traditional enterprise, and learn about false beliefs about young companies.

MODULE 2. Monetization of an idea – business models part 1

Modules 2 and 3 cover a common subject. You will learn about a total of 21 different business models.

MODULE 3. Monetization of an idea – business models part 2

In module 3, we will continue to learn about business models.

MODULE 4. Business scaling strategies

In module 4 we will deal with business scaling strategies. First, we will explain what scaling is and why you should use it, then you will learn how you can scale your business.

MODULE 5. Marketing and PR in a startup

In module 5, we will talk about the role of communication in the enterprise.

MODULE 6. How to acquire the first customers?

In module 6, we will talk about acquiring the first customers for your new company.

MODULE 7. How to effectively manage company finances?

In module 7, we will talk about the effective management of the company's finances.

MODULE 8. Legal aspects of running a startup

In module 8, we will deal with the form of running a business and the signing of investment agreements.

MODULE 9. Getting from 1 to 50 – recruitment

In module 9, we will talk about recruiting employees for your startup.

MODULE 10. Investment exit strategies

In module 10 we will look at exit strategies.

CONDITIONS FOR PASSING THE COURSE

To pass the course and obtain a certificate you have to read the entire material and get a total of 50% of the points that can be gained from the activities included in the course. The course contains single and multiple choice tests.

COURSE TEAM

Krzysztof Wojewodzic PhD

President and owner of ESCOLA S.A. He advises international corporations – such as NE AB and Brockhaus GmbH, Xella International – in the field of digitization. He founded and sold multi-million dollar startups.

Krzysztof Wojewodzic gives lectures on online management – over 1000 students from all over the world took part in the first edition. He is also an expert of the National Center for Research and Development – he assesses innovative applications. He is an investor and advisor for startups.