Launching a Startup

A Prototype for Startup Success

If there was a proven system for mitigating one’s risk in starting a new venture, what would it look like?

Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs and the broader community with research-based, founder-proven resources. In this six-week program, aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators will learn to research, craft, test, and transform their ideas into viable business concepts. Participants will dive deep into a four-step framework, The Startup Canvas, a proprietary tool developed at Stanford GSB as a way to systematize a pathway to market success.

Key Takeaways

Analyze various techniques to develop a product prototype.
Conduct effective interviews with potential customers to develop your customer personas.
Create and describe a value proposition for a specific product.
Develop a go-to-market (GTM) plan, and determine key metrics, such as customer acquisition costs (CACs).
Present a viable profit model for a specific product.
Apply the four-step entrepreneurship framework to a final capstone project.
Learn entrepreneurship best practices, and avoid common pitfalls.
Use strategies based in neuroscience to influence the decisions of stakeholders.

This Program is Ideal for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Innovators Who Want to:

Test an idea before the investment stage to increase their odds of success in the market.

Get proven, research-driven frameworks that translate into having the inner confidence to move forward with their vision.

Learn from the same faculty and thought leaders who contribute to Silicon Valley’s revered startup ethos.

Program Modules

Module 1: Identifying and Interviewing Your Customers

Module 2: Developing a Prototype

Module 3: Articulating Your Value Proposition

Module 4: Crafting a Go-to-Market Strategy

Module 5: Assessing Your Profit Model

Module 6: Winning the Entrepreneurial Game — A Neuroscience Perspective

Program Walkthrough

Access to Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) proprietary strategy tools and frameworks

Live session with faculty

Manageable time investment (4-6 hours/week)

Assignments for you to apply learnings to your own product, organization, or idea

Real-world case studies and industry examples

Feedback on select assignments to ensure understanding of the program material

Certificate of completion from Stanford Graduate School of Business

Featured Program Elements

Original strategic frameworks and tools from Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty

Featured case studies and examples, including Mon Ami, Calyx Flowers, Lumo Bodytech, Aqualisa, Proper Good, and more

Capstone project designed to focus and advance your entrepreneurial vision

Meet the Faculty

James M. Lattin

The Robert A. Magowan Professor of Marketing

Professor Lattin is the former faculty director of the Stanford Ignite–Bangalore program on innovation and entrepreneurship, and former curriculum director of the Stanford See...

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Baba Shiv

The Sanwa Bank, Limited; Professor of Marketing

Professor Shiv has done extensive work on the emotional brain, documenting its powerful role in shaping decisions and experiences. His work includes the application of neuroec...

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Stefanos Zenios

The Investment Group of Santa Barbara Professor of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Operations, Information & Technology; Director, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

Professor Zenios is the faculty co-director of Stanford GSBʼs Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. He is an innovative teacher and researcher, and the main architect of Startup...