BEX5606 · Start-up and innovation project

Overview

What does it take to build something from nothing? How do founders make decisions under uncertainty, move fast, and create products and solutions that real customers want? In this industry consulting project unit, you will work directly with a start-up founder on a live business challenge. There are no weekly classes. Instead, you will meet regularly with your industry-based academic supervisor and work hands-on with your founder client, taking ownership of your project from brief to final deliverable. You’ll also have access to several industry masterclasses to help you develop your project and consulting skills. The challenge will vary by start-up and could span go-to-market strategy, product pricing, customer research, product launch, or the creation of an entirely new product or solution. You will not just advise, you will build. Your output will be something the start-up can use directly, whether that is a live website, a pitch deck, a financial model, a prototype, or another tangible artefact. You will think and work like an entrepreneur, navigating ambiguity, making decisions with incomplete information, and using a wide range of contemporary digital tools to get things done. If you thrive in fast-moving, unstructured environments and are curious about entrepreneurship as a career path, this is the project unit for you. By the end of this unit, you will have experienced first-hand what it means to innovate under real constraints, working alongside a founder to create something that did not exist before.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset in response to the uncertainty, risk and ambiguity faced in venture and consulting contexts;
2. determine project scope and approach based on analysis of client needs, using business evidence and contemporary practice in applied project contexts;
3. apply relevant business theories, concepts and tools creatively to address complex business challenges;
4. communicate evolving project insights, outputs and recommendations clearly, professionally and appropriately across various stakeholder interactions;
5. produce industry-standard project deliverables and recommendations as a coherent business solution that is evidence-based and context-specific;
6. evaluate personal and team development using industry-standard feedback practices, digital tools, and collaborative approaches that value diverse perspectives in complex entrepreneurial project contexts.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester. As this is a self-directed project, the spread of this workload equates to roughly 2 days a week of individual effort towards the project, with a key part of this workload including separate weekly meetings with your client, academic supervisor and project team, as well as working collaboratively with your project team to develop project deliverables, alongside your independent study. Independent study may include associated research, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. Scheduled workshops (masterclasses) also contribute to this workload, supporting the development of project and consulting skills. Please note, attendance at the workshops is optional but highly recommended. Learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed, industry/expert guest directed, peer directed, and online engagement activities. You are expected to complete all pre-class activities prior to your scheduled workshop, and post-class activities should be completed after your scheduled workshop.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.