University of Technology Sydney

21924 Start-up Bootcamp

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2023 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Business
Credit points: 8 cp

Subject level:

Undergraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Description

This subject assists students in identifying important problem–solution spaces, and to test and develop early prototypes with which to achieve problem–solution fit and understand requirements for product–market fit. Students leverage prior learnings and disciplinary knowledge, complemented by this subject's entrepreneurial methods to identify opportunities that create value for stakeholders while enacting their own personal values and passions. This subject provides students with a broad exposure to the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in start-up weekends, 'hackathons', bootcamps and by founders of highly innovative ventures. Students learn to identify key risks and propose and plan strategies for mitigating them.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
1. Gauge the value and impact of an entrepreneurial idea through experimentation and engagement with stakeholders
2. Appraise the ethics, attitudes and behaviours of decision making and commercial negotiation
3. Generate environmentally ethical and sustainable strategies and/or innovation processes involved in expanding an early stage enterprise
4. Plan an approach to assemble and lead multidisciplinary teams to operate in uncertain and unknown business and/or professional environments
5. Communicate a risk appraisal and mitigation model for the expansion of an emerging enterprise to stakeholders
6. Present a cogent and convincing argument for expansion of an emerging enterprise to stakeholders

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

The subject contributes to developing skills of entrepreneurial collaboration, creative problem solving, business modelling and value creation. The subject is devised to support the development of entrepreneurial proposals, prototypes and start-up ideas.

This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attribute(s):

  • Intellectual rigour and innovative problem solving
  • Communication and collaboration
  • Professional and technical competence

This subject also contributes specifically to develop the learning required to deliver the following Program Learning Objective(s):

  • Apply creative, critical and analytical thinking to review and progress an entrepreneurial project (1.1)
  • Communicate findings, entrepreneurial ideas, solutions and strategies to a range of audiences and apply interpersonal skills that are sensitive to diverse people, cultures and contexts (2.1)
  • Evaluate and adapt social, ethical, sustainability and diverse cultural, including Indigenous, perspectives in the context of their start-up idea (3.1)
  • Apply findings from experimentation, field research and theoretical consideration to their start-up project (4.2)

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject is delivered over six full days scheduled over 2-3 weeks, supplemented by online modules and activities. Learning will take place in a collaborative, immersive, experiential, studio-based environment. Students will work with academics and professionals across a wide range of disciplines.

Content (topics)

  1. Entrepreneurial skills, capabilities and mindsets
  2. Value and value proposition designs
  3. Business model design and validation using lean or effectual principles
  4. Entrepreneurial finance
  5. Techniques for communicating, branding and inspiring stakeholders

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Presentation*

Objective(s):

This addresses subject learning objective(s):

5 and 6

Type: Presentation
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 50%
Criteria:

*Note: Late submission of the assessment task will not be marked and awarded a mark of zero.

Assessment task 2: Report

Objective(s):

This addresses subject learning objective(s):

1, 2, 3 and 4

Type: Report
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 20%

Assessment task 3: Project

Objective(s):

This addresses subject learning objective(s):

1, 2, 3 and 4

Type: Project
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 30%

Minimum requirements

Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks.

Required texts

Readings and other resources will be provided online.