Short-term, extracurricular “pop-up classes” on a variety of topics related to entrepreneurship and innovation are now being offered to anyone in the Stanford community.
Called “Sparks,” the classes will be taught by experts from the local entrepreneurial community. Each Spark will consist of three evening sessions, one night a week for three weeks. Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to sign up here.
Sparks are presented by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center in the universityʼs School of Engineering. Long known for helping develop and deliver entrepreneurship-related courses within the schoolʼs Department of Management Science & Engineering, STVP developed Sparks to offer individuals a way to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to think entrepreneurially.
“We believe that no matter what field you are pursuing, these skills benefit everyone in bringing their ideas to life,” said STVP Executive Director Tina Seelig.
Three Sparks will be offered during Autumn Quarter:
- “Effective Communications for Startup Teams,” will teach the skills entrepreneurs need to engage in discussions about feedback, as well as how to regulate and express emotions during intense moments for a startup — such as pivots, team departures and fundraising struggles. The class will kick off on Oct. 14 with lessons on how to facilitate conversations that set expectations within a startup team.
Taught by Foothold Coaching Co-Founder Anamaria Nino Murcia, the Spark will offer a mix of seminar content, case examples from actual startups and skill building activities. The second and third classes will be on Oct. 21 and 28.
- “The Power of Pretotyping” will share the insights of an early Google employee who led the launch of the search giantʼs multi-billion-dollar AdWords product, on a method that helps ventures determine whether the product or service they want to provide is actually the right one for the market.
Besides teaching “pretotyping” to rave reviews at Google and dozens of companies large and small, Alberto Savoia has co-founded two venture-backed startups and written a handbook that has been translated in a dozen languages. The dates for this class are Oct. 15, 22 and 29.
- “Behind Closed Doors: Inside a Venture Capital Partners Meeting,” will take those who sign up into an actual pitch session at a top venture capital firm here in the valley, to learn how entrepreneurs present their ideas, how they react to questions about their challenges, and what investors look for in great new companies. The class – with sessions on Oct. 16, 30 and Nov. 6 – will be led by former Oracle CFO Jeff Epstein, operating partner at Bessemer Venture Partners.
“Itʼs a weekly, secret ritual: Every Monday, across Silicon Valley, talented entrepreneurs make presentations to the partners of the worldʼs leading venture capital firms,” Epstein said. “Then, the entrepreneurs leave, and the partners discuss what theyʼve heard, in private. Wouldnʼt you like to know what the venture capitalists are saying?”
All Sparks classes are free and will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Preference will be given to current Stanford students, but all members of the Stanford community are encouraged to register.
For updates on Sparks classes planned for the winter and spring quarters, subscribe to STVPʼs quarterly newsletter or follow the program on Facebook.
