Welcome to the ENGR 145 course website & syllabus for Winter 2020 at Stanford University
This course examines the fundamentals of technology entrepreneurship as practiced in Silicon Valley and similar innovation regions around the globe. All undergraduate students at Stanford University of any major are encouraged to join us (no graduate students please).
This particular website is intended only for Engineering 145 (E145) at Stanford University when led by Professor Tom Byers, which was last offered winter quarter of 2020.
E145 is also offered by these instructors: Chuck Eesley during the regular school year and then Rebeca Hwang and Pedram Mokrian in the summer quarter. Tom Byers will be the faculty-in-residence at BOSP’s Stanford in Florence during the spring quarter of 2022 and will teach a modified version of E145 that incorporates lessons from the Renaissance called OSPFLOR 84.
Please feel free to view the one-page grid schedule that is the Handout in Session 1. And you can view comprehensive details of each of the 20 sessions via the menu on the left side of this home page. Also watch the 3-minute video shown above for an overview of the course. It introduces some of the people involved in teaching the course as well as students who took the course in the past.
Students interested in learning more about entrepreneurship should consider enrolling in any of the other courses listed on the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) website including MS&E 472 Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar, which is a one-unit course featuring a different speaker each week of the term that also welcomes auditors.
Expanded Course Description from Stanford’s Explore Courses and Axess:
How does the entrepreneurship process enable the creation and growth of high-impact enterprises? Why does entrepreneurial leadership matter even in a large organization or a non-profit venture? What are the differences between just an idea and true opportunity? How do entrepreneurs form teams and gather the resources necessary to create a successful startup? Mentor-guided projects focus on analyzing students’ ideas, case studies allow for examining the nuances of innovation, research examines the entrepreneurial process, and expert guests allow for networking with Silicon Valley’s world-class entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. For undergraduates of all majors with interest in startups the leverage breakthrough information, energy, medical and consumer technologies. No prerequisites. Limited enrollment. 4 units of credit.
Moreover, the course examines the fundamentals of technology entrepreneurship because technology is a good proxy for any high-potential, high-growth enterprise. We illustrate the concepts with examples from the early stages of Silicon Valley technology-intensive enterprises and similar ones around the globe. How did these successful ventures develop enterprises that have had such positive impact, sustainable performance, and longevity? In fact, the course’s major principles are applicable to any growth-oriented, high-potential venture including nonprofit enterprises such as the World Economic Forum in Geneva and the Gates Foundation in the USA.
The course is based upon a required textbook by Byers, Dorf, & Nelson called Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise (McGraw-Hill, 5th Edition, 2019). Visit this link for least expensive purchase options of a printed version including from Amazon Prime in one-day here. And try these links at Amazon and Chegg for affordable digital purchase and rental pricing. A copy of the 5th Edition will be on reserve at the Terman Library in Huang Engineering Center. Feel free to skim the first chapter of the textbook here.
Students with Documented Disabilities:
Students who may need an academic accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate the request with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). Professional staff will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare an Accommodation Letter for faculty dated in the current quarter in which the request is made. Students should contact the OAE as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations. The OAE is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone: 650-723-1066, web: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae).
