Bill Aulet's presentation at the VentureWell Open conference in Washington DC to entrepreneurship educators with material on his just being released Disciplined Entrepreneurship Workbook
2. Purpose of this Presentation
We are all entrepreneurship educators
The world needs us more than ever before
We can do better
How we can up our game
2
4. What Is Entrepreneurship?
Innovation
* Technology
essentials
* Knowledge of
science &
engineering
* Skills to develop
* Skills to build
Entrepreneurship
* Business
essentials
* Venture
engineering
* Knowledge to
frame decisions
* Skills to start
* Skills to grow
4
6. 6
But is there sufficient understanding
of the topic?
Hmmm….
7. DISCIPLINED ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Definition of Entrepreneurship – 2 Types
Entrepreneurship
SME (Small Medium Enterprise)
Local Market Focus
Restaurants, Dry Cleaners, Services
IDE (Innovation-Driven Enterprise)
Global Market Focus
Products w/ Innovation at Core
• Δt is short
• Linear growth (capped)
• Less investment required
• Δt is long
• Exponential growth (uncapped)
• A lot of investment required
12. How Entrepreneurship
Should Be Taught
1. Open (common language & best tools)
2. Systems Approach (integrated & prescriptive)
3. Rigorous but Practical (mens et manus)
4. Use Our Own Methodology
12
14. Process
•Start with market segmentation to identify different types of students in classes today
Segmentation
•Real representative examples (MIT)
•Significant shift in demandPersonas
•Identify needs by persona
•Note common areas as wellNeeds
•Modular for flexibility & customization, as well as rigor & quality
•What is our current set of offerings?Design
•Multiple mechanisms for delivery
•Giving options to customers (students)Delivery
•Research best practices
•Identify gaps and areas of weakness Remediation plans developed & implementedAction
14
15. Example: Target Customer Definition
& Segmentation for MIT
• MIT students
• Undergraduate (UG)
• Graduate Student – MBAs (MBA)
• Graduate Student – other Masters or PhD (Grad)
• Post Doctoral Student* (PostDoc)
• Any of the five schools at MIT
• We will further distinguish between all of these
categories of students by their interests using the
persona methodology
• Again, we focus on IDE not SME entrepreneurship
15
16. Market Segmentation: Personas
Exploratory/
Curious
Ready-to-Go Entrepreneurship
Amplifier
Corporate
Entrepreneur
Description
of Persona
Interested but has no
driving idea or team; is in
exploratory mode; starts
here but will migrate to
another state or out of
entrepreneurship
Chomping at the bit &
just wants help to get
going – has idea, tech
&/or core of team
Interested in
understanding enough to
successfully promote in
their org (e.g., gov, corp,
family business) but is not
the entrepreneur
Wants to be an
entrepreneur in a large
organization
Needs at a
High Level
Need info on career
choice, soft skills,
ideation, team building
and then some first-hand
experience to get a
sense of the process
Wants specific skills and
lots of them, very
quickly; less on the
upfront things
emphasized for the
“curious” persona;
wants the deep,
immersive experience
of being an
entrepreneur on her
idea/technology
Interested in all steps in
some depth but even
more interested in
strategy, policy and
economic impact of the
field. Will want to have
the experience of being an
entrepreneur so can
empathize but more
interested in the process
than the idea or team
Wants depth in
executing the process
so comfortable doing it
again but less tied to
the idea or team; more
interested in
organizational issues
and environment
issues
16
17. Needs Assessment: Business Essentials* 17
Defining & Refining
Product Market
Fit
Ideation
Team
Building 1
Career
Choice
Soft
Skills
Primary Market
Research
Key Founders’
Decisions
Sales
Basics of
Finance
Communications
Sector Deep
Dives
Customer
Acquisition
Strategy
Product
Design
Product
Development
Leadership &
Culture
Negotiations
Scaling -
Manufacturing
Work-Life
Balance
Financing
HR
Project
Management
Dealing with
Adversity
Core Entrepreneurship Specific Skills :
Corporate
Entreprnrship
Corporate
Strategy
“Nucleation”
(Phase 1)
“Product Definition”
(Phase 2)
“Venture Development”
(Phase 3)
Product
Management
Legal
Business Model
& Pricing
Scaling: Process
& Infrastructure
General Skills Valuable to Entrepreneurs:
Essential Skills for Entrepreneurs (Semi-Customized):
Building
Eship Systems
* - An open framework built for constant refinement
18. Fulfillment Mechanisms
1. Residential Classes (Full Semester, Half Semester, Short
Classes)
2. Online Classes (e.g., edX/MITx/OpenCourseWare)
3. Lecture Series and/or Workshops (“SnackPacks”)
4. Extra or Co-Curricular Clubs/Activities (e.g., Competitions,
Hackathons)
5. Resources Page (Supplementary materials, e.g., blog posts,
podcasts, video or other materials)
6. Advisory Network (Specialists, Coaches, Mentors)
19. Offerings Mapping to Needs 19
Defining & Refining
Product Market
Fit
Ideation
Team
Building 1
Career
Choice
Soft
Skills
Primary Market
Research
Key Founders’
Decisions
Sales
Basics of
Finance
Communications
Sector Deep
Dives
Customer
Acquisition
Strategy
Product
Design
Product
Development
Leadership &
Culture
Negotiations
Scaling -
Manufacturing
Work-Life
Balance
Financing
HR
Project
Management
Dealing with
Adversity
Core Entrepreneurship Specific Skills :
Corporate
Entreprnrship
Corporate
Strategy
“Nucleation”
(Phase 1)
“Product Definition”
(Phase 2)
“Venture Development”
(Phase 3)
Product
Management
Legal
Business Model
& Pricing
Scaling: Process
& Infrastructure
General Skills Valuable to Entrepreneurs:
Essential Skills for Entrepreneurs (Semi-Customized):
Building
Eship Systems
Ideation
Classes:
• 6.933: Founders’ Journey (1 class)
• 15.390: New Enterprises (2 classes)
• Also included in 2.75: Medical Device
Design, 3.042: Materials Project Lab,
2.009: Prod Engineering Process,
ESD.051J: Eng Innovation & Design
• IAP class: “Figuring Out the Next Big
Thing” IAP.123
edX:
• Watch this space …
Extra-Curricular & Clubs:
• Sloan Design Club
• Hackathons (e.g MIT Hacking Medicine)
• $100K Brainstorming sessions
SnackPacs
• t=0 Brainstorming Sessions
• Lecture series (at least every 2 months)
Online/Library:
• Videos (IDEO, Improv, plus others)
• Tina Seelig online class
• Add books
Professional Advisor Network Contacts
• Main contact: Sam Breen
• Specialist: Elaine Chen*
• Gordon Contact: Blade Kotelly
• VMS Contact: Roman Lubensky
20. Clarity of Mission: What Makes Us
Different? – “Raison d’Etre”
We help create entrepreneurs not companies.
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22. Beachhead Market
“Ready to Go”
Chris had his business idea
even before the school year
began and the drive to start
his business ASAP. Chris is
already meeting other
students so he can find his co-
founder, securing mentors,
and building his network. He is
taking the course for some
guidance, but he would have
started his business even
without the class.
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23. Comprehensive Curriculum Tile Approach 23
Defining & Refining
Product Market
Fit
Ideation
Team
Building 1
Career
Choice
Soft
Skills
Primary Market
Research
Key Founders’
Decisions
Sales
Basics of
Finance
Communications
Sector Deep
Dives
Customer
Acquisition
Strategy
Product
Design
Product
Development
Leadership &
Culture
Negotiations
Scaling -
Manufacturing
Work-Life
Balance
Financing
HR
Project
Management
Dealing with
Adversity
Core Entrepreneurship Specific Skills :
Corporate
Entreprnrship
Corporate
Strategy
“Nucleation”
(Phase 1)
“Product Definition”
(Phase 2)
“Venture Development”
(Phase 3)
Product
Management
Legal
Business Model
& Pricing
Scaling: Process
& Infrastructure
General Skills Valuable to Entrepreneurs:
Essential Skills for Entrepreneurs (Semi-Customized):
Building
Eship Systems
* - An open framework built for constant refinement
31. Benefits of Approach
Comprehensive yet Practical
Integrated
Proven & Tested – To Stand the Test of Time
Sequential/Prescriptive
Creates Common Language for Knowledge Transfer and
Accumulation
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35. 35
“I'm actually as proud of the things
we haven't done as the things I have
done.”
—Steve Jobs
36. Examples of Disciplined Entrepreneurship
36
Raised $118M since
founded in 2013
Nima Sensor
Raised $13.2M since
founded in 2013
“Best Inventions of 2015”
– Time
“Most Important Health Innovations of 2016”
– Popular Science
For dozens more, go to our web site and look at the
presentations by our teams of all types and varieties that go
through our Capstone summer accelerator program delta v –
http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/accelerator/program/
40. Other Tools to Help Educators
Progress Dashboard
www.detoolbox.com
40
• Dropbox Teaching folder w/ teaching materials
• Youtube videos
• Slideshare.net
• www.EEF.io
• Trust Center Annual Report
• Open Source/Creative Commons arrangement
• entrepreneurship.mit.edu
• January Entrepreneurship Development
Program @ MIT
• Articles
• www.disciplinedentrepreneurship.com
41. Articles
41
“The Most Overrated Thing in Entrepreneurship” “How Acceleration Trumps Incubation”
“Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast” “Our Dangerous Obsession with the MVP”
46. Disciplined Entrepreneurship
Workbook
• More guidance on how to do each step
• Worksheets, exercises, case studies, more depth
• More surrounding material
• Step 0, additional other sources, brainstorming
• 3 new big items:
• DE Canvas
• Primary Market Research (PMR) guide
• Windows of Opportunities and Triggers
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50. Story of Reo, Rita, Natalie, Chuan & Gavin
Start IAP
Jan 2015
15.390
Feb – May 2015
GFSA
June – Aug 2015
BCG
Hacking Arts
PowderWave
GSD
Sept – Jan 2015
IDEOSumo Logic
TA
6.933
51. Key Take Aways
• Entrepreneurship can be taught and it is effectively
with a good process
• The students appreciate there is value in a
rigorous/disciplined process for entrepreneurship –
it is not just magic and mentorship
• Entrepreneurs and companies evolve over time in a
Darwinian manner – fluid teams are essential to
optimize the learning process (as well as success)
By the way, note the diversity in the teams!
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52. Validation
Designing Team Building Check Points on the
Entrepreneurship Education Ramp
Inspiration,
Idea,
Technology
Classroom Extra-Curricular Accelerator
Key Points to Form/Reform Team:
V1, V2, V3, V4, …