π Entrepreneurship β Map of Content
Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying, developing, and bringing a vision to life β creating value by solving problems in a scalable way.
Strongest at: Stanford GSB Β· HBS Β· Wharton
π± Venture Creation
- Lean Startup β Build-Measure-Learn (Eric Ries)
- Business Model Canvas β Osterwalderβs 9-block visual strategy tool
- Customer Development β Steve Blankβs 4-step process
- Product-Market Fit β Finding it, measuring it, keeping it
- Minimum Viable Product β Fastest path to validated learning
π° Venture Finance
- VC Term Sheet β Pre-money, post-money, dilution, liquidation preference
- Startup Valuation β How pre-revenue companies get valued
- Fund Economics β How VCs make money (2&20, IRR, carry)
- Fundraising Strategy β Which investors, when, how much
- Cap Table Management β Equity ownership tracking
π Scaling
- Growth Hacking β Viral loops, referral programs, product-led growth
- Go-to-Market Strategy β Launch strategy and sales motion
- Unit Economics β LTV/CAC, payback period, cohort analysis
- Platform Strategy β Network effects and winner-take-all dynamics
πͺ Exit Strategies
- IPO Process β From S-1 to first trade
- M&A Exits β Strategic acquisition vs. PE buyout
- Exit Multiples β Revenue, EBITDA, ARR multiples at exit
π§ Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Effectuation Theory β How expert entrepreneurs think (Sarasvathy)
- Opportunity Recognition β Seeing problems others miss
- Risk and Uncertainty β Knightβs distinction
- Founderβs Dilemmas β Wassermanβs rich vs. king tradeoff
π Essential Books
- The Lean Startup β Eric Ries
- Zero to One β Peter Thiel (contrarian VC view)
- The Startup Ownerβs Manual β Steve Blank
- Crossing the Chasm β Geoffrey Moore
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things β Ben Horowitz
π« School Spotlights
- Stanford GSB: Startup Garage, Lean LaunchPad; deep Silicon Valley ecosystem
- HBS: Rock Center for Entrepreneurship; HBS alumni start 700+ businesses/year
- Wharton: Wharton Entrepreneurship; strong VC connections, Penn ecosystem
π Case Studies
- Airbnb Early Days
- Beyond Meat Scale-Up
- Dropbox Growth
- Slack Pivot
- Snap IPO Decision
- Spanx Sara Blakely
- Warby Parker Launch
- WeWork Rise and Fall
- Y Combinator Model
- Zipcar
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