Women's Innovation Lab

Women’s Innovation Lab

Curriculum Overview

Women founders often outperform in the market, yet a pervasive equity and funding gap exists. The Women’s Innovation Lab seeks to empower students to shift that narrative.

The virtual, four-day certificate program teaches emerging women entrepreneurs and innovators how to turn their ideas into scalable businesses, access equity, and navigate the entrepreneurship ecosystem. The program provides students with methods and tools for creating opportunities and overcoming obstacles.

Participants explore the tenets of entrepreneurship and risk-taking in a supportive and contributive environment, learning from coaches and established entrepreneurs. Students will cultivate leadership skills, acquire knowledge, and adapt curriculum to their specific context to maximize their chance of success.

Program at a Glance

Dates

October 2, 4, 9, and 11

Format

Virtual

Mornings:

Synchronous instruction

Afternoons:

Asynchronous online assignments

Final capstone project

Optional in-person networking

Time commitment:

~ 8 hours/day

~ 20 hours/final capstone project

Learning Outcomes

• Intro to Entrepreneurship and Business Model Canvas

• Intrapreneurship/Internal Product Innovation

• Fundraising and Intellectual Property

• The Art of Storytelling (Pitching)

Course Curriculum

Day 1

Morning

• Intro to Entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship Pitfalls

• Know Thy Customer

• Intro to Value Propositions

Day 2

Morning

• Guest Entrepreneur Speaker on Taking Risks

• How Do You Do the What

• Problem Statement, Project Thesis, and Testing Hypotheses and Deep Dive into Business Model Canvas

Afternoon

• Hive Five

• Bravery, Not Perfection

• Business Model Canvas

• Problem Statement

Afternoon

• Deep Dive into Business Model Canvas and Populate Your Own Business Model Canvas

• Project Thesis and Question Development

• Ecosystem Mapping Introduction

• Map Your Ecosystem

Day 3

Morning

• Guest Entrepreneur Speaker on Customer Discovery

• Customer Discovery Workshop

• Deep Dive into Customer Segments

• Value Proposition and Cognitive Biases

Day 4

Morning

• Guest Speakers on Fundraising

• Guest Speaker on Corporate Innovation Product

• Pitching Your Business

• What’s Next

Afternoon

• Building a Team

• Total Addressable Market and Serviceable Addressable Market

• Fundraising and Securing Budget

• Intellectual Property

Afternoon

• MVPs and Pivoting and Rapid Prototyping to Build Internal Business Cases

• Capstone Project Work