Innovation and Entrepreneurship Capstone

6 units · Undergraduate

Fall and Spring: 6 units This course is an advanced, hands-on capstone for selected student teams emerging from 67-428 Innovation and amp; Entrepreneurship. While 67-428 introduces the fundamentals of innovation, entrepreneurship, startup formation, and venture funding, 67-429 gives a small number of high-potential teams the opportunity to continue building their ventures as real companies. Teams will spend the semester moving from startup concept and early validation toward a fundable, market-ready business. Students will work intensively on product development, customer discovery, market validation, go-to-market strategy, business models, company formation, and fundraising. The course emphasizes execution: teams will be expected to build, test, learn, iterate, and demonstrate meaningful progress throughout the semester. Students will have access to an extended network of Carnegie Mellon alumni, founders, angel investors, venture capitalists, industry leaders, and other startup experts. These mentors and investors will provide ongoing feedback, introductions, office hours, and opportunities for teams to pressure-test their businesses and build relationships within the startup ecosystem. The course culminates in a formal fundraising and venture-building process in which teams prepare for and pursue external investment, accelerator opportunities, strategic partnerships, or other paths to company formation. The goal is to turn the strongest ideas emerging from 67-428 into real companies—and give those companies their best possible chance of securing funding, customers, or other meaningful traction by the end of the semester. Prerequisite: 67-428