ENT4520 Startup funding Emneplan

This course provides students with skills and experience in how to attract investors to their entrepreneurial project and how to scale up and grow their project internationally.

The target group for this course is early-stage companies/projects with ambitions to grow and expand. It is designed for startups or innovation projects that want to grow through fundraising and will help them become fundraising ready. After interest is generated among investors, it is essential to ensure that the pitched message have been correctly received. This process is called due diligence and is the foundation of this course. It includes testing and validating the scalability of your business model, building a financial model and selecting the best funding source for your company. 

None.

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence: 

Knowledge 

The student has

• in- depth knowledge about different investment terms and deal making 

• specialised knowledge about different planning and growth matrices 

• a high level of knowledge about risk assessment and due diligence 

• a broad understanding of and knowledge about what resources must be in place to be investor ready 

• specialised knowledge about how to use entrepreneurial tools to assess funding opportunities

• specialised knowledge about scalable business models and different financial models 

Skills 

The student has

• a high level of skills in identifying and understanding different funding possibilities

• a high level of skills in setting future growth goals and measuring progress 

• specialised skills in managing a due diligence process 

• in-depth skills networking with investors nationally and internationally

• a high level of skills in building a financial model and identifying funding needs 

General competence 

The student has

• a high degree of competence in applying knowledge and skills when deciding the most appropriate funding strategy

• specialised competencies in communicating and mastering theoretical concepts, language and forms of expression that are relevant within the funding community

• a high level of competencies in ethical challenges related to funding and growth

Students are expected to actively contribute and participate in discussions and exercises. The course includes lectures, readings, problem solving, oral and written presentations, workshops, guest speakers and cases.

The following coursework requirements must have been approved before the student may take the exam:

Attendance in seminars are compulsory, and the student must participate in at least three out of four seminars. The student must take part in preparing a collective seminar presentation based on readings on the syllabus. The presentation is followed by a discussion with the whole seminar group, led by the presenters. Student who are unable to attend the required number for seminars or who are prevented from taking part in collective seminar presentation may be offered a postponement required course activities.  

The exam is an individual term paper that is structured as a pitch deck presentation.

The individual term paper is a pitch deck presentation of 15–20 slides that communicate your entrepreneurial project to potential external investors. This deck could/should include: problem, solution, value propositions, trends, market size, business model, value chain, traction, sustainability, financial planning, IP documentation and team and operation evaluation. 

Students awarded a fail grade are given one opportunity to submit an improved version of the term paper for assessment.

All aids are permitted as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grade scale A–F. 

The exam papers are assessed by one internal and one external examiner.

At least 25 per cent of the exam papers are assessed by two examiners. The grades awarded for the papers assessed by two examiners form the basis for determining the level for all the exam papers.