This studio-based course helps students develop their ability to imagine, recognize, inspire, and improve new product ideas for startups, interval ventures, or others forms of innovation.
In each class, students learn a different approach to product ideation or product critique, then practice that approach, working in many different teams, and often with the advice of practicing entrepreneurs, VCs, domain experts, and other practitioners. Students invent and explore thousands of ideas, and help each other evaluate and improve those ideas.
The objectives of the course are:
- To help students develop the ability to imagine and recognize new ideas
- To teach students how to critique and improve ideas
- To broaden students’ awareness of startup and internal venture opportunities
- To teach students the composition and value of healthy teams
- To give students experience collaborating with many of their peers
- To encourage students to pursue ambitious, ideatory opportunities
- To help students choose co-founders and a new product idea for spring Studio
Instructors:
- Greg Pass (section 1 and part of 3), class grader Pargol Gheissari
- Rei Inamoto (section 2 and part of 3), class grader Ben Dobkin
Schedule:
- Class 1 (Sep 6): syllabus | slides | homework
- Class 2 (Sep 20): syllabus | slides | homework
- Class 3 (Sep 27): syllabus | slides | homework
- Class 4 (Oct 4): syllabus | slides | homework
- Class 5 (Oct 25): syllabus | slides | homework
- Class 6 (Nov 8): syllabus | slides | homework
- Class 7 (Nov 29): syllabus | slides | homework
The three sections meet at:
- 1:55p–3:10p (Greg's section)
- 3:20p–4:35p (Rei's section)
- 4:45p–6:00p (Rei's section (with some lectures by Greg))
All final homework and make-up assignments are due by Dec 4 at 3p, including all ideas and thanks in Uni that will count toward your grade.
Course wiki: