The Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics at Chapman University is proud to open its doors to the wider community. As one of the Accelerate California Inclusive Innovation Hub Centers, we are focused on driving the economy of California through entrepreneurship with a special focus on female founders, founders of color, veterans, and other underserved communities.
We are here to support your vision to create the world we all deserve. This will take many different shapes and will be realized in small and incomprehensively large ways. Our goal is to provide you with access to world-class innovation resources to allow you to grow a community of support. We want to enhance your pursuit of creating a more just, inclusive and prosperous future!
We have tons of programs available to community members that are free of charge including events, mentors, and a startup cohort. If you wish to apply for the startup incubator or accelerator, we ask that you complete the Essentials of Entrepreneurship and Startup Innovation course first. This course is designed to provide you with a foundation of knowledge so you can succeed in our startup cohorts. The course is self-guided and has periodic onsite meetings at the Center.
Here’s what you will learn.
Module 1: Innovation and Entrepreneurship Basics
There has never been a better economy to launch a new business. Why? The advances in technology allow for innovators to have access to software and tools that, in the past, used to require highly technical skills.
For example, now non-programmers can code simply. Or what used to take a highly skilled graphic artist using Adobe Photoshop can now be accomplished in a tool like Canva. Entrepreneurs have access to scalable computing. Business models are changing too - from music to software to our cars. Consumers may own less and license or ‘rent’ more. 15 years ago, the sharing economy did not exist yet.
The new economy has shifted from simple linear growth to exponential growth with subscription-based models. Innovation creates an accumulation of value that, until now, was unheard of. Some people became entrepreneurs out of necessity, but you will be an opportunity-based entrepreneurs.
In this module, you will learn the concepts and definitions of innovation and entrepreneurship and how they work together to create dynamic businesses that adapt and prosper.
Module 2: Beyond Resources Controlled
In this module, we cover the entrepreneurial mindset as a core leadership attribute regardless of the size of your company. We go deeper into the basics of entrepreneurship. Learn more about concepts like:
- Companies
- Markets
- Industries
- Competitive analyses
You will learn what a business model is and how to think about expenses and revenue. We examine the core of resource and asset allocation and returns, and how this process leads to common sets of business functions. We cover the basics of when to form a company and determine the right structure for your business. We look at the creation of a business plan versus Business Model Canvas.
Module 3: Value for Stakeholders
In module three, we turn to the foundations of innovation. You will learn the Integrated Innovation System model, principles, and resource kit at a high level. We cover adaptive reuse to accelerate growth. We talk about why “new” is not enough. We show you how to brainstorm to innovate anything. Participants will learn how to assess their own innovation capabilities.
Module 4: Seek Truth Over Convenience
We often get so excited about our ideas that we forget to empathize with our stakeholders. We discuss how to get out of the building, understand, and perform discovery with our potential customers. We examine how to use various tools and techniques to validate and test your assumptions and hypotheses.
In this practical module, you will learn how to conduct market research, segment your target customer base, and identify your value proposition and competitive advantage.
We cover design thinking and strategic innovation. We always want a human-centered approach to problem-solving and innovation. We explore case studies of design-oriented companies, look at business models, understand customer experience, and focus on organizational culture.
You will learn an interactive website game with process flow. We show you how to iterate by building, testing with focus groups, and reiterating vs. cocreation.
You will learn about lean startup principles.
Module 5: Measuring and Managing for Success
We cover the skills and processes involved in managing the development and launch of a new product or service. It is important to understand the challenges of scaling your venture, and how to measure and evaluate your impact and performance.
You will learn program management best practices. We arm you with tactics about how to convert your data and information into actionable business practices. We discuss using technology as an enabler.
Module 6: Communicating and Scaling Your Venture.
Now, for the fun stuff! You will learn about the sources and methods of funding your venture. Then we cover the art of the pitch, and specifically work on how to pitch your idea to potential investors and partners!
We will educate you on venture financing and how to ask for an appropriate investment, as well as how to value your company properly. We cover market sizing top down and bottom up.