The following articles and videos are supplemental information for the Spring 2021 Mission43 Venture College Entrepreneur Course.

• Class Syllabus

• Schedule a Mentor Meeting

Lesson 1 - Intro to Startups

Feb 2

After Lesson 1, students should be able to: 

• Distinguish between

  • Side Gig

  • Side Hustle

  • Lifestyle Business

  • Startup

• Understand the term “lean startup”

• Understand the positives and drawbacks of entrepreneurship

See Class Notes

📕 Articles:

1. What is a Side Hustle?

2. Five Reasons Why A Side Hustle Could Be Beneficial And Perhaps Even Lead To A Startup Company.

3. Startup vs. Lifestyle Business (a Short Comparison from a Guy Who’s Done Both)

4. Lifestyle Business vs. Growth-Minded Business

5. 7 Signs That You Are Not Cut Out to Be an Entrepreneur

📺 Videos:

1. Venture College Side Hustle Series

2. Steve Blank: What is a Startup?

3. Steve Blank: Startups Aren’t Just Small Versions of Large Companies

Lesson 2 - Value Proposition Canvas

Feb. 4

After Lesson 2, students should be able to: 

• Define a value proposition

• Recognize value propositions from other companies  

• Explain why unique value propositions are critical to business survival

• Begin to articulate their value proposition for their own business idea 

See Class Notes

📕 Articles:

1. The 31 Best Value Proposition Examples You Wish You Had

2. What is a Value Proposition? (Plus 3 Great Examples and 3 Common Mistakes)

3. Value Propositions: What They Are and How to Create Them (with Examples)

4. Value Proposition Canvas

5. Why Value Propositions Are Important (And How To Create Them)

📺 Videos:

1. Strategyzer's Value Proposition Canvas Explained

2. Value Proposition Canvas Explained by Alex Osterwalder

3. The art of innovation | Guy Kawasaki | TEDxBerkeley

4. Designing your Value Proposition by Alex Osterwalder at Mind the Product 2014

5. Value Proposition Canvas explained through the Uber example

Lesson 3 - Customer Discovery

Feb 9

After Lesson 3, students should be able to: 

• Define customer discovery

• Explain why customer discovery is crucial to finding value propositions 

• Know best practices behind customer discovery 

• Begin to practice interviewing customers and asking appropriate questions 

See Class Notes

📕 Articles:

1. The Four Steps to Customer Discovery

2. THE CUSTOMER DISCOVERY HANDBOOK

3. 26 Resources to Help You Master Customer Development Interviews

4. Customer Discovery In the Time Of the Covid-19 Virus

5. Customer discovery according to the Lean Startup methodology

📺 Videos:

1. Video 1: What is customer discovery?

2. Video 2: The Customer Development Process. 2 Minutes to See Why

3. Video #3: EMPATHY - BEST SPEECH OF ALL TIME By Simon Sinek

4. Video #4-13: Steve Blank Customer Interview Series

Lesson 4 - Testing a Value Proposition

Feb 11

After Lesson 4, students should be able to: 

• Define what is a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) 

• Explain the benefits of an MVP 

• Share examples of successful companies who used an MVP

• Begin to plan their own MVP

See Class Notes

Lesson 5 - Measuring a Minimum Viable Product

Feb 16

After Lesson 5, students should be able to: 

• Explain how to measure the successfulness of an MVP 

• Learn how to create goals around an MVP using a Test Card 

• Begin creating measurable goals using their own Test Card

See Class Notes

Lesson 6 - How to Pivot Your Idea

Feb 18

After Lesson 6, students should be able to: 

• Learn how to use a Learning Card

• Define a pivot

• Explain why pivots are critical for startups 

• Share examples of successful companies who made early pivots 

• Share examples of companies who made later-stage pivots 

See Class Notes

Lesson 7 - Business Model Canvas (BMC)

Feb 18

After Lesson 6, students should be able to: 

• Understand the difference between the Business Model Canvas (BMC) and the Value Proposition Canvas

• Explain each section of the BMC

See Class Notes

More Resources

Pitch Your Idea

Funding Your Idea

Marketing Your Idea

Legal Steps for Your Idea

Monetizing Your Idea