About this course: Start-ups can benefit from a wide variety of financing options on the path to profitability, but how do you know which one to choose? This course explores different financing models, including bootstrapping, organic growth, debt and risk capital, and also provides a clear overview of equity financing including the key types of investors: angels, venture capital, and crowdfunding. You’ll learn about terms, and term sheets, exit modes and what exit strategy might be best for you. By the end of this course, you’ll have an understanding of what success looks like and how it can be financed. You’ll also be ready for the capstone project, in which you will get feedback on your own pitch deck, and may even be selected to pitch to investors from venture capital firms.

Created by: University of Pennsylvania

Taught by: Kartik Hosanagar, Professor
Wharton School
Taught by: Lori Rosenkopf, Vice Dean and Director, Wharton Undergraduate Division
Simon and Midge Palley Professor of Management
Taught by: David Hsu, Richard A. Sapp Professor of Management
The Wharton School
Taught by: Laura Huang, Assistant Professor
Management
Taught by: Ethan Mollick, Edward B. and Shirley R. Shils Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor of Management- Wharton School
Taught by: David Bell, Xinmei Zhang and Yongge Dai Professor, Professor of Marketing
Marketing
Taught by: Karl T. Ulrich, Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The Wharton School

Basic Info	Course 4 of 5 in the Entrepreneurship Specialization.
Commitment	4 weeks of study, 1-2 hours/week
Language	English
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Business Models and Keeping Customers

This module was designed to introduce you to some of the key activities you can do in order to reach and sustain profitability. You'll learn the most important rule of entrepreneurship, the different kinds of business models, how to determine who your best cus...

4 videos, 1 reading

Graded: Building a Business Model and a Customer Base Quiz

WEEK 2

Financing, Valuation, and Terms

In this module, you'll learn the five most common methods of financing, and explore the financing process in depth. You'll also learn strategies for valuing your own company, and how venture capital and angel investors use valuations in negotiating milestones,...

4 videos, 1 reading

Graded: Financing Methods and Valuation Quiz

WEEK 3

Private and Public Financing, and Calculating Breakeven

This module was designed to give you a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of both public and private financing, and to provide you with some simple but powerful tools for estimating how much capital you will need. You'll learn about the added bene...

5 videos, 1 reading

Graded: Choosing Financing, and Calculating Breakeven Quiz

WEEK 4

Elements of the Pitch and Exit Strategies

In this module, you'll learn the three key elements of your pitch to funders, and the examine the most common methods of exiting the entrepreneurial phase. You'll learn the structure and best practices for an executive summary, your pitch deck, and your pro-fo...

4 videos, 1 reading

Graded: Strategies for the Pitch and the Exit Quiz

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University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.

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