There’s no shortage of pitfalls for startups and their founders. The 90 percent failure rate of startups is enough to make you think about keeping your day job — forever. But what if there was a proven playbook that dramatically increased the odds of success?
Being successful in venture capital means having a mix of cross-disciplinary skills, which is why expert faculty for this program stem from social psychology, organizational behavior, information technology, finance, and marketing.
Enroll in this program and learn how to:
Pick the right business model
There are many different types of business models. Survey the range of options, including the disruptive model, the architecture model, the value chain model, and the efficiency model, with examples of each type. Use the Business Model Canvas tool to help you decide on your model.
Build the right team
Learn about the three Rs of founding teams — relationships, roles, and rewards — and the three critical questions entrepreneurs must address when setting up their organizations. Topics include allocating equity, founder’s agreements, hiring key management, and finding technical resources.
Choose the right financing approach
Raising funds to scale is one of the biggest challenges that startups face. Learn about the various financing pathways available and the trade-offs for each type. Topics include equity financing valuations, equity financing terms, and term sheets.
Ramp up sales and scale the business
In order to drive sales, you need a foundational understanding of your potential customers and markets. Considerations such as the rate of adoption of new products help with demand forecasting. Understand the importance of creating a growth culture and different expansion strategies, such as vertical and horizontal expansion.
Through a mix of live and recorded faculty video sessions, assignments, quizzes, and interactive discussions moderated by teaching assistants, your learning journey culminates in a pitch to the Wharton team and renowned venture capital firms. Some of the prominent firms from previous competitions include Sequoia Capital, Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Ved Capital, and Walnut Venture.
Your business or idea
Regardless of stage of maturity
Real-world examples
Delivered through a mix of recorded and live online lectures with faculty and guests
Discussion boards
Moderated by subject matter experts
Badge for the Business Plan Competition winner
Awarded to the winner of the Business Plan Competition
Participate in a business plan competition* that serves as a catalyst for honing your entrepreneurial skills and gaining invaluable exposure. You will create a pitch for your own venture, and members of the Wharton entrepreneurship community will review the submitted plans with support from the program leaders. The top seven business plans will be selected as finalists, and those participants will get an opportunity to pitch their business plans to a Wharton venture capital panel in a live session.
The winner of the Business Plan Competition is rewarded with a badge, which is shareable on digital platforms and signifies the bearer's potential as a leading entrepreneur capable of turning visionary ideas into successful business ventures. With this unique badge, you can showcase your exceptional presentation and persuasion skills as well as your mastery of a variety of entrepreneurial concepts, including team building, financial structuring, market scaling, strategic thinking, and business planning.
*Participation in the competition is optional and not essential for program completion.
Wharton Executive Education's Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program features in-depth interviews with company founders and representatives from startups and established venture capital firms.
The online program also features examples of startups and established organizations that were once startups. It will cover multiple industries, including consumer packaged goods, ecommerce, internet, media and entertainment, and technology.
Adobe
Intel
Qualcomm
Aerocardal
Harry’s Blades
Dollar Shave Club
Jet.com
The Walt Disney Company
Bandar Foods
Silicon Valley Bank
IBM
Kickstarter
Xiaomi
Belle-V Kitchen
Wholly Moly
Note: All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.
Academic Director; Richard A. Sapp Professor; Professor of Management
Ralph J. Roberts Distinguished Faculty Scholar; Associate Professor of Management; Academic Director, Wharton interactive
John C. Hower Professor; Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Simon and Midge Palley Professor
CIBC Endowed Professor; Professor of Operations, Information
and Decisions; Professor of Management; Advisor on Asia Strategy
Upon successful completion of the program, you will earn a digital certificate of completion from Wharton Executive Education.
Note:
After successful completion of the online program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wharton School.
This online certificate program does not grant academic credit or a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Scaling a Business: How to Build a Unicorn
6 Weeks, Online
Master the realities of building a unicorn, and learn strategies to help you scale your startup or organization to unicorn status.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Write to us at learner.success@emeritus.org or Schedule a call with one of our Academic Advisors or call us at +1 680 205 5118 (US) / +44 185 845 9995 (UK) / +65 3135 1422 (SG)
Flexible payment options available.
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