Developing New Business Ventures (Online): From Ideation to Successful Launch
- Requirements
- This program is suitable for attendees at all executive levels.
Developing New Business Ventures (Online): From Ideation to Successful Launch
Overview
The eight-week Developing New Business Ventures: From Ideation to Successful Launch (Online) program — comprised of four live and four self-directed modules — offers an intensive learning experience that focuses on the creation, evaluation, development, and launch readiness of a new business or social enterprise. Program participants learn from world-renowned faculty and tap into the expertise of the University's vibrant entrepreneurial community.
Each participant enters the program with a preliminary venture idea that they would like to work on. Using a proprietary sequence of eight modules, the program leverages associated work assignments to support the development of the new venture. Participants learn how to assess the industry and market attractiveness for their venture idea, form competitive strategies, develop minimum viable products and services, prioritize customer acquisition strategies for early traction, and generate full financial statements.
Throughout the program, participants refine their venture’s hypothesized business model based on instructor, peer, and customer feedback. They leave the program fully equipped with the tools and frameworks required to create and launch their new startup.
“Do you have a new business or social enterprise idea? This program helps you develop a comprehensive venture plan while strengthening your entrepreneurial thinking through a blend of cutting-edge theory and practice in startup design, entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership.”
Jack McGourty
Faculty DirectorImpact
Participants will walk away with in-depth knowledge of:
- Common challenges faced by entrepreneurs as they build a new venture
- How to best frame a venture opportunity
- How to develop a business model to test their assumptions about product offerings and market demand
- How to define their early-target customer and engage in effective customer discovery
- How to assess the current market and position their product offerings for competitive advantage
- Agile ways to develop new products or services that will gain market traction quickly
- Current approaches for cost-effective customer acquisition and retention
- How to build credible financials based on reasonable, benchmarked assumptions
- Critical metrics to measure and monitor new venture success
- How to build the right team and culture for a successful launch and early-stage growth
Program Structure
Through interactive live lectures with faculty, self-directed modules, and hands-on assignments, participants learn the core elements of venture creation and planning in a specially sequenced modular format. Each module provides the participant with the knowledge and tools required to develop a comprehensive new venture plan.
At each stage, participants are exposed to critical terms, tools that support research and decision-making, and explanations of how each major planning activity fits into the new venture creation process. Participants respond to a series of venture questions and exercises, which guide each module through the planning process in a self-directed manner.
Modules include:
- Your Idea: Articulating the problem to be solved and the potential benefit to the customer
- Your Business Model: Developing an initial business model to support early assumption testing and validation
- Your Customer: Testing your assumptions about the alignment between your product offering and targeted customers through customer interviews and surveys
- Your Market: Synthesizing the unique benefits of new offerings and positioning against the competition in the marketplace
- Your Product: Designing minimal viable products to quickly test customer acceptance
- Your Brand: Creating an integrated marketing and brand strategy for early traction
- Your Financial Plan: Identifying revenue sources while minimizing cost factors with a focus on break-even and cash management
- Your Launch: Selecting team members with the right mix of knowledge and skills and creating a culture for sustained growth
“The course helped me understand and work on what is required to start a successful and sustainable business. It comprises every aspect which is needed and gives great guidance, delivered by a world-class faculty.”
Claus Brauner
Senior HR BP at Allianz SE“The program is complete — it takes you from the idea to timeline to launch. I am also impressed by the professor's video feedback. He took time to read the decks and give precise insight.”
Martin Labrecque
Managing Director, Senior Relations Management at Desjardins Capital Markets“The program really helped me better structure my business idea and bring it from idea to a plan. I very much appreciated the personal/individual feedback of [faculty director] Jack McGourty, which gave me additional impulses to challenge some aspects of my idea.”
Benno Leuenberger
Founder, CEO of akkselParticipant Profile
The Developing New Business Ventures program is tailored for professionals and teams ready to transform innovative ideas into thriving new ventures. Whether you’re launching a standalone startup, creating an internal corporate initiative, or developing a social enterprise, this program equips you with the skills to succeed.
This program is ideal for:
- Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Individuals with a bold business or nonprofit idea, looking for structured guidance to bring their vision to life.
- Corporate Innovators: Senior professionals and leaders tasked with driving innovation or launching new products and services within their organizations.
- Startup Founders: Entrepreneurs at early stages who want to refine their business models, validate assumptions, and scale efficiently.
- Venture Teams: Teams from organizations or startups that want to collaborate on developing a business plan, validating a new product, or launching a new division.
- Nonprofit Leaders: Individuals aiming to create or grow a social enterprise that addresses critical societal issues through sustainable business models.
- Product Managers and Intrapreneurs: Professionals responsible for bringing new products or services to market and seeking entrepreneurial strategies to ensure success.
By joining this program, you will gain the tools and insights to validate your venture’s market potential, develop a sustainable business model, and execute a successful launch.
Faculty
Jack McGourty
Adjunct Professor of Business, Management Division
Director of Community and Global Entrepreneurship
FAQ
General
What is the educational approach of your online programs?
You can expect a robust, multi-layered learning experience that emphasizes the development of the higher order thinking skills which were proposed by educational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Bloom in “Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning.” According to Bloom, the development of higher order thinking skills requires guiding the learner from just knowledge recall to comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Bloom’s Taxonomy was later revised and expressed in more action-orientated terms as 1) remembering, 2) understanding, 3) applying, 4) analyzing, 5) evaluating and 6) creating. In online learning at Columbia Business School Executive Education, you will have an opportunity to progress through these key phases of learning so that by the end each program, your return on learning will be clearly measurable.
What is the difference between live online and online programs?
Compare our two formats for distance learning here.
Format
How long do your online programs run for?
Our online programs range between 3 to 18 weeks in length.
Are your online programs synchronous or asynchronous?
Our online programs are mostly asynchronous, meaning that there is generally no live contact with faculty. Unless otherwise specified in the program description, all lectures are delivered through recorded media. Interactions between learners, facilitators, and faculty are conducted via discussion boards, email, and announcements, and all program material is posted on a course site.
Each online program is divided into time-sequenced modules with new modules released each week. This is to allow you to move through the course with a cohort of fellow learners to ask questions and share your learnings and experiences. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities you will have to connect with fellow learners in each particular online program.
Are assignments graded and if so, how?
An assignment is marked as either complete or incomplete based on whether or not it meets the assignment requirements. If an assignment is submitted without meeting the essential requirements, it will be marked as incomplete, however, you will be able to resubmit the assignment for further review.
Will there be any pre-program work?
No. There is no pre-program work in our online programs.
Learning Experience
Who will be my main point of contact?
Each online program is managed by a dedicated Online Facilitator who will be available to answer any questions, provide feedback, and send reminders as needed. Your Online Facilitator will contact you shortly before the program begins.
How will I access the program materials?
Each program has a dedicated course site to which you will have a login and password. The course site will contain all program materials — syllabus, video content, readings, and assignments.
Will I be able to interact with the faculty?
This varies from program to program. Questions raised in discussion boards and assignments will be curated by your Online Facilitator/Learning Coach. At a minimum, the faculty will post weekly or bi-weekly announcements addressing those themes. Some programs may feature periodic live online sessions to provide an opportunity to engage with the faculty live.
What is the role of the Online Facilitator/Learning Coach?
In online learning at Columbia Business School Executive Education, we emphasize facilitated cohort learning and development. Our online programs are guided by a dedicated Online Facilitator/Learning Coach who provides feedback on your learning to help you re-examine your assumptions in order to expand your understanding of the program’s concepts and achieve your learning objectives.
How will I interact with my cohort of online learners?
Connecting with other learners in an asynchronous online learning environment takes place through weekly discussion boards as well as peer or small group sessions.
What is the online student code of conduct?
Whether attending an online or in-person program, every participant at Columbia Business School Executive Education is expected to adhere to the student code of conduct which requires the following:
- Respect the privacy of other students. Do not share or disclose personal or proprietary company information on public forums.
- Respect the diversity of opinions and cultures that will be present in your program. The use of language that is harassing or denigrating will not be tolerated.
- Your program login credentials are for your personal use only. Do not allow anyone else to access the course site using your login.
- Do not reproduce content from any online program unless allowed by the copyright terms laid out by the course administrator.
- Do not submit the work of others as your own work.
- Violation of this code of conduct may result in disciplinary action including cancellation of program enrollment with no reimbursement of fees.
Learning Environment
How will I access the program materials?
Each program has a dedicated course site to which you will have a login and password. The course site will contain all program materials — syllabus, video content, readings, and assignments.
When will I receive access to the course site?
You will receive access to the course site generally within one to five business days of the course start date.
Can I access the course site on a mobile device?
Yes, the course sites are accessible on mobile devices via the course website log-in page at https://courseworks2.columbia.edu/ or via the Canvas app:
» Download Canvas app for Android
» Download Canvas app for iOS
To find Columbia Business School Executive Education on the Canvas app, you may need to type our URL in the "Find your school or district" box. The URL is courseworks2.columbia.edu.
Please note that there will be differences in how the course site is displayed in the app versus on desktop. We recommend that you experiment with accessing the course site on a mobile device and laptop or computer to see which works best for you.
How long will I have access to the course site after the program concludes?
You will have access to the course site for an additional three months after the program concludes.
Certification for Online Programs
Do your online programs provide any university credits?
No. All of our Executive Education programs, both online and in person, are non-degree courses and as such, do not provide accreditation or lead to an accredited diploma or a degree. Upon successful completion of the program, participants receive a certificate of participation.
Do online programs count towards earning the Certificate in Business Excellence (CIBE)?
Online programs provide credits towards the Certificate in Business Excellence (CIBE)*. Please visit the program page for the exact number of credits each online program earns toward this certificate.
*Except Professional Certificate in Corporate Finance (with edX), Alumni Edge programs, and TIME for Learning classes, which do not earn credits toward the Certificate in Business Excellence.
Cohort
Who typically attends your online programs?
The executive cohort for each online program consists of a global audience at various stages of their careers, from mid- to senior-level leaders and managers with an average of 10-15 years of management experience. Participants come from a range of functional areas including general management, IT, finance/accounting, sales, operations, marketing, human resources, customer service, engineering, and strategy. The top 10 industries represented include financial services, energy/natural resources, retail, technology, education, consulting, manufacturing, consumer products, and non-profit industries.
How large are the online program cohorts?
We limit the enrollment levels of our online programs to ensure every participant receives consistent feedback from the Online Facilitators. This makes it possible for us to provide you with a level of attention and feedback not typical in other online programs.
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