Scott Shane, the A. Malachi Mixon III Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies and professor of economics, started teaching at 窪蹋勛圖厙 12 years ago. At that time, entrepreneurship was taught in a classroom with textbooks; there was no think[ box ], Blackstone LaunchPad or IP Venture Clinic.
Fast-forward to 2015, and Northeast Ohio is in the midst of an entrepreneurial boom, with the university at the forefront.
Over the last year, construction began on the seven-story, $35 million ; student Felipe Gomez del Campo V, founder of FCG Plasma, was recognized by the White House and and student entrepreneurs have won more than just to name a few examples of startup success.
This fall, the university will continue to build on its momentum by offering a new, late addition class taught by Shane: Entrepreneurial Finance (ENTP 310).
The class will bring prominent entrepreneurial finance experts from London, New York and Silicon Valley to 窪蹋勛圖厙in person or virtuallyto speak to students about financing new businesses.
Each expert takes a different aspect of financing new businesses, Shane said. For instance, how does equity crowdfunding work? How do investors value seed stage businesses? How do experts structure a deal for a young company?
Geared toward real-life entrepreneurial finance activities, class assignments include pitching business plans through PITCH U, the new Burton D. Morgan Foundation competitions that will begin in the fall; attending an Arch Angel meeting to see actual entrepreneurs seek funding; and performing due diligence on behalf of the North Coast Angel Fund.
What students were missing from previous classroom experiences was seeing how actual investors think about financing new businesses. Thats important if you are a serious entrepreneur who is launching a company," Shane said. This class will give students the knowledge and contacts that they need to raise capital for their own businesses.
The PITCH U aspect of the class is something Shane brought to campus. As the inaugural Research Fellow at the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, Shane has been working with the foundation to study how to improve entrepreneurs efforts to pitch investors. Part of that study involves four elevator-pitch competitions on college campuses this fall that offer students an opportunity to win $2,500 in prize money. takes place here at 窪蹋勛圖厙.
With the support of university President Barbara R. Snyder, Provost William Bud Baeslack and Weatherhead School Dean Robert Widing, Shane is hard at work putting in place additional elements to get student entrepreneurs the financing they need to start companies.
The new entrepreneurial finance class, scheduled for fall term, will take place Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3-4:15 pm. in Kelvin Smith Librarys telepresence room. Undergraduate students of all majors are encouraged to register for the . The course has no prerequisites and is open to any student interested in raising money for a business.
The class is practical for entrepreneurs, Shane said. They already have ideas; now they have the opportunity to work on the business aspects.
Read more about Shane in this weeks five questions.
