How to Build a High-Tech Business
Plan (CTGE 443O) NOTE:
Fall 2003 was the last semester of the
Enterprise and E-commerce Management
Program
How to
Build a High-Tech Business Plan (CTGE 443O)
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 The business plan is the most important
document the entrepreneur may ever write. And while the document itself is
a critical tool for the fundraising and team-building process, the thinking behind
the document is even more important to the success of the new e-commerce venture.
What is the product? How will it be developed and marketed? How much will it cost
to be successful? And how much money will be made by investors savvy enough to
participate and employees smart enough to join the team? Now hear from seasoned
venture capitalists, angel investors, institutional investors, and successful
entrepreneurs what they look for in a business plan, how they use the document,
and what advice they have for entrepreneurs in building an initial plan. This
course includes over four hours of video interviews with expert panelists
from such firms as Garage.com, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Vector Capital, Packeteer
(PKTR), and Rainmaker Systems (RMKR).
In addition to the expert interviews,
this blended online, on-site course includes readings, individual and group activities,
class discussions, sample plans, case studies, and access to an extensive library
of planning resources. Specific course topics include: - Critical elements
of a useful plan
- The difficult questions that need to be asked,
and some techniques on how to get to the answers
- Differences between
a business plan and an operating plan
- How quicker "time-to-money"
considerations are impacting the traditional plan format, and changing the role
of the traditional plan in fundraising
- Presenting the plan effectively
to potential investors, partners, and team members
- Books, online
resources, and software tools to help the entrepreneur build the plan
Notes
on the blended procedures: - Students meet once at the beginning of
the class for orientation and an introduction to the class topics, and once at
the end for presentations, critique, and live discussion.
- This course
is facilitated by Doug Nelson, the course creator. Doug will respond to message
board postings, evaluate course activities and exercises, and comment on issues
throughout the course.
- While there are no specific times that a
student must be online, the course is run on a schedule: a certain reading should
be done by Tuesday at 5:00, for example, and a follow-up exercise finished by
Thursday at 5:00. Students are required to log on to the course website 3 -
4 times per week to stay current with discussions and activities.
- While
the amount of time spent on the course will vary depending on the depth to which
students pursue the material, most students should expect to spend between 10
- 15 hours to complete the coursework.
- The course website is available
24x7 during the duration of the course, through a standard web browser.
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