Session 1 · September 29, 2026 · Problem Finding
Systems Thinking & Empathy
A valuable problem is the critical element of entrepreneurship. Often what we see are only symptoms. Solving symptoms does not create a lasting solution. This session introduces how to differentiate between symptoms, problems, and root causes; how to analyze the problem system; how to identify the most valuable problem to solve; and how to use Empathy as the tool for this exploration.
Learning objectives
- Distinguish clearly between symptoms, problems, and root causes in real-world situations.
- Explain what Empathy means in a design-thinking context and why it precedes solution-building.
- Recognize the difference between assumptions and verified facts, and articulate personal biases.
- Formulate a first user hypothesis: who is the target user, and what situation are they in?
Pre-class:
Read five newspapers or news websites (local, national, and international). Select three news stories, one local, one national, and one international, that describe a problem affecting people, and be prepared to discuss them in class.
Deliverable: First user hypothesis
Session 2 · October 6, 2026 · Problem Finding
Empathy in Practice
Empathy methods in observation and engagement. Students learn the basics of applying empathy as a practical tool for understanding the customer: methods of observation and dialogue, field notes, and how to record what is seen and heard without contaminating it with interpretation.
Learning objectives
- OBSERVATION: Apply structured observation techniques (AEIOU: Activities, Environments, Interactions, Objects, Users) in the field.
- ENGAGEMENT: Conduct an empathy interview that separates facts and direct statements from the interviewer's interpretations.
- Keep a disciplined field note / dialogue log using a three-column format: Facts / Statements / Notices.
- Practice interview ethics: informed consent, non-leading questions, and comfortable silence.
Deliverable: Field notes and dialogue log
Session 3 · October 20, 2026 · Problem Finding
Problem Definition
Insight extraction, the How-Might-We method, and verbalizing a precise problem definition. Raw observations become insights, and insights become a sharp, testable problem statement: "Who is facing what challenge in what situation, and why does it matter?"
Learning objectives
- Synthesize field data into insights by clustering facts and statements and asking "why is this happening?"
- Write a clear problem definition statement in the form: [User] needs a way to [need] because [insight].
- Generate How-Might-We (HMW) questions that open the solution space without embedding a solution.
- Evaluate problem statements for specificity, evidence, and value (is this the most valuable problem to solve?).
Deliverable: Problem definition statement
Session 4 · October 27, 2026 · Solution Development
Ideation
Divergence and convergence, evaluation axes, and establishing hypotheses. Teams generate a wide set of solution ideas, then converge using explicit criteria, and reframe the selected idea as a testable hypothesis — not a fixed answer.
Learning objectives
- Apply divergent ideation technique to generate volume and variety of ideas.
- Define explicit evaluation axes (e.g., user value × feasibility) and use them to converge honestly.
- Reframe a chosen idea as a falsifiable hypothesis: "We believe [solution] will [outcome] for [user]; we will know this is true when [signal]."
- Explain why an idea is a hypothesis to be tested, not an answer to be defended.
Deliverable: Testable solution hypothesis
Session 5 · November 10, 2026 · Solution Development
Pitch 1 (Problem–Solution)
Teams present the work so far — Problem → Ideation → Solution — and receive structured feedback from instructors and peers. The interim pitch tests the logic of the argument and presentation.
Learning objectives
- Present the problem-to-solution argument clearly to instructors and peers.
- Receive and apply structured feedback on logic and presentation.
Deliverable: Interim pitch 1
Session 6 · November 17, 2026 · Value Creation & Capture
Business Model
Value proposition, delivery, and alternatives. Students learn a simple business model not as startup preparation but as a tool to strengthen validation: if we cannot state who gets what value, how it reaches them, and what they use today instead, the hypothesis is not yet testable.
Learning objectives
- Articulate a one-sheet Value Proposition: for whom, what pain/gain, what offer, and why it is better than the alternative.
- Map a simple delivery flow: how does the value actually reach the user (channels, steps, touchpoints)?
- Identify at least one real alternative (competitor or workaround) the user relies on today, and compare honestly.
- Use the business model as a source of testable assumptions, not as a static plan.
Deliverable: One-sheet value proposition
Session 7 · November 24, 2026 · Value Creation & Capture
Financial Model
Cost, price, and revenue outlook, with all assumptions verbalized. The goal is not accounting precision but understanding the conditions under which the solution can survive: what must be true about costs, willingness to pay, and volume for this to work?
Learning objectives
- Estimate the major cost items required to deliver the solution (even roughly), and separate fixed from variable costs.
- Reason about price from the user's perspective: value received, alternatives' prices, and willingness to pay.
- Build a super-simple income/expense outline and identify the break-even logic in plain language.
- Verbalize every assumption behind the numbers so each can later be validated or corrected.
Deliverable: Simple income/expense outline
Session 8 · December 1, 2026 · Value Presentation
Pitch 2 (Problem–Market)
Teams present the full chain so far — Problem → Insight → Hypothesis → Validation Plan — and receive structured feedback from instructors and peers. The interim pitch tests the logic of the argument, not the polish of the slides. Kick off Capstone 1 project.
Learning objectives
- Structure a concise pitch that connects evidence to problem, problem to hypothesis, and hypothesis to planned validation.
- Deliver the pitch within a strict time limit, with clear ownership of each section by team members.
- Give and receive structured peer feedback (what is convincing / what is missing / what to test next).
- Convert feedback into concrete revisions of the validation plan.
Deliverable: Interim pitch 2 and Capstone 1 kickoff
Session 9 · December 8, 2026 · Capstone 1
Capstone 1 — Proposal
The first Capstone begins: find a completely new subculture and problem, and apply the full methodology at speed. In one session, teams move from problem space to problem definition, and first solution ideas — what took four weeks in Sessions 1–4 now happens in two, because the skills are already built.
Learning objectives
- Select a promising subculture and problem space quickly using explicit criteria (access to real users, observability, team energy).
- Compress the empathy toolkit into a rapid discovery sprint.
- Produce an evidence-based problem definition for a brand-new problem.
Deliverable: Capstone 1 problem proposal
Session 10 · December 15, 2026 · Capstone 1
Capstone 1 — Pitch
The first Capstone closes: teams test their solution hypothesis with real users, attach a simple business logic — value proposition, alternative, price, rough income/expense — and package the whole run as a complete, evidenced proposal. Done is better than perfect: Capstone 1 is the fast, full rehearsal of the entire cycle.
Learning objectives
- Generate and converge on solution ideas, framed as falsifiable hypotheses with ranked risky assumptions.
- Build a rapid low-fidelity prototype and run a first test against the riskiest assumption.
- Develop a simple business model: value proposition, real alternative, price logic, and rough income/expense with stated assumptions.
- Pitch the business plan to the audience.
Deliverable: Capstone 1 pitch
Session 11 · December 22, 2026 · Capstone 2
Capstone 2 — Proposal
The second Capstone begins: another completely different problem, run deeper than the first. With three weeks instead of two — including the winter break for extended fieldwork — teams are expected to reach stronger evidence, a physical prototype from the maker lab, and a more defensible business case.
Learning objectives
- Choose a second, entirely new problem space — applying the selection lessons learned in Capstone 1.
- Plan a deeper discovery: more interviews, repeat visits, and quantitative signals alongside qualitative logs.
- Define the problem with sharper evidence standards: numbers of people affected, frequency, and cost of the problem.
- Converge on a solution hypothesis suited to a tangible, testable physical or functional prototype.
Deliverable: Capstone 2 problem proposal
Session 12 · January 12, 2027 · Capstone 2
Capstone 2 — Maker Lab
Build day in the maker lab. Teams turn the Capstone 2 hypothesis into a tangible prototype — a physical product model, working mock-up, or functional demonstration — and design a real-user test with numeric signals. A prototype users can touch produces harder evidence than any description.
Learning objectives
- Translate the solution hypothesis into a buildable prototype scope: what must be real, what can be faked, what is out of scope.
- Build a tangible prototype using maker-lab resources within one session.
- Design a user test protocol with 2–3 numeric signals plus qualitative logging.
- Deepen the business case in parallel: refine value proposition, channels, and the income/expense outline.
Deliverable: Physical prototype and user-test protocol
Session 13 · January 19, 2027 · Capstone 2
Capstone 2 — Pre-Pitch
The second Capstone closes and the final decision is made: each team selects ONE of its two Capstone projects to carry into the Final Pitch. The selection standard is the strength of the evidence, not the polish of the prototype. The session then turns to pitch architecture: the 60-second problem video and the investor-style pitch structure.
Learning objectives
- Analyze Capstone 2 test results against the numeric signals and sort findings into Validated / Refuted / Unclear.
- Compare the two Capstone projects honestly on evidence strength, problem depth, and business viability — and choose one, with reasons.
- Storyboard the 60-second problem video: who suffers, why it happens, how deep it goes.
- Structure the final pitch as an investor pitch: market size, willingness to pay, channels, value proposition, business model, simple cash flow, and the funding ask.
Deliverable: Final project choice and pitch storyboard
Session 14–15 · January 26, 2027 · Demo Day
Final Pitch Night
The course finale, run as a single three-hour block (18:00–21:00) to give every team the stage. Each team opens with its 60-second problem video — making the audience feel who suffers and how deeply — then delivers a live investor-style pitch: the market, the willingness to pay, the route to customers, the value proposition, the business model, the simple cash flow, and the funding ask. Evidence, not adjectives, carries the argument.
Learning objectives
- Open with a 60-second video that establishes the problem using real footage and interviews.
- Deliver a complete investor-style pitch within the time limit.
- Answer Q&A with evidence: numbers, observed actions, and direct quotes from real users.
- Evaluate peers with the shared rubric and write a reflection on the full journey of two complete cycles.
Pre-class:
Rehearse the 60-second video and investor pitch before class. There is no in-class rehearsal.
Deliverable: Final pitch, Q&A, and written reflection