6 Classes to Boost Your Entrepreneurial Thinking
We hear the word “entrepreneur” thrown around a lot, but what does it really take to be one? We compiled a list of courses that teach concrete skills and strategies that are sure to boost your entrepreneurial thinking and help you become the best entrepreneur you can be.
One great way to learn more about entrepreneurship at UVA is the Social Entrepreneurship Minor. Here’s three classes you should take within the minor:
ENTP 1010 “Startup: An Introduction to Entrepreneurship”
Instructor: Chip Ransler
When/Where: MW 9:30–10:45am and MW 11am–12:15pm; online course
Description: “The Startup class is a fourteen-week course-plus-simulation designed to provide students with not only the basic tools and vocabulary of new ventures, but also a sense of what it feels like to start, fund, and manage such a venture. The course, by way of in-class case discussions, mentored group work, and startup simulations introduces students to a broad range of issues faced by founders and funders of both for-profit and non-profit ventures.”
LPPS 3050 Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship
Instructor: Andreas Addison
When/Where: Wednesday 3:30 pm-6:00 pm; Maury Hall 209/Remote option
Description: “Social entrepreneurship is an approach to creating system-level change through the application of entrepreneurial thinking to social ventures, non-profit organizations, government institutions, and NGOs to create economic, environmental, and social value for multiple stakeholders. In this course you will be introduced to a range of entrepreneurial approaches aimed at solving social problems — from the non-profit to the for-profit.”
ENTP 4000 Launch
Instructor: Eric Martin
When/Where: Tu 2-4:45pm; online course
Description: Launch is a class-as-accelerator, through which a select group of admitted students would further develop over the course of a semester a venture of their own design. The course experience is comprised of not only a curriculum focused upon customer, product, and venture development, but also the mentoring of ventures by experienced founders, investors, lawyers, and other members of the new venture community
Enrollment Requirements: 4th-year Commerce or subplan Entrepreneurship Track or Entrepreneurship Minor
However, there are some skills that you can’t learn in a traditional classroom. At Forge, you learn through engaging, impactful projects, and you have the chance to gain a modern, in-demand skillset in just 10 weeks. Forge offers three Skills Courses that are especially helpful for up-and-coming entrepreneurs:
Ignite is a civic entrepreneurship course that will teach you how to channel your passions into meaningful civic action and change. In just 10 short weeks you’ll learn how civic engagement goes beyond just voting, and by learning through public discourse within the Charlottesville community, you’ll have the chance to begin creating your own brand as a leader across social media and other platforms.
Instructor: Brendin Duckett
When/Where: Sundays 3–5pm; online course
Prototype is a rapid prototyping course that will teach you how to create web apps and websites without writing any code. You’ll be surprises at how much you can create with “no-code” tools. You can makes websites and even recreate apps like Uber or Airbnb without any code at all. Apply for Prototype to develop your experience in design thinking and learn how to make your own apps and websites for your future business!
Instructors: Andy Page and Daniel Willson
When/Where: Mondays 4:30–6:30pm; online course
Explore covers 5 different skills we teach for 2 weeks each, so you can learn how modern skills all work together. Skills covered include: software, data, design, marketing, and UX. This is a great opportunity to get the basics down for a lot of skills you’ll need in running your future (or current!) business. In each of the 5 sections, you’ll be able to create a mini-project using each skillset, allowing you to learn not only from your instructors, but also from your own experience.
Instructors: 5 instructors; one for each of the 5 skills you’ll learn
When/Where: Sundays 5–7pm; online course
These 6 courses are all great choices for any student who’s hoping to jump into the world of entrepreneurship. With these skills in your toolkit, you’re bound to succeed. For more information about Forge’s Skills Courses, check out https://joinforge.co/courses
