USF – Understanding Startup Fundamentals

Understanding Startup Fundamentals (USF) is an incubation program designed to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and business concepts using methodologies typical of startups. LVenture Group leverages its network and extensive industry experience to pass on its know-how to students through a highly practical approach.

Throughout the program, you'll have the chance to create and execute your own entrepreneurial project, benefiting from close collaboration with the LVenture team and a network of portfolio companies keen on potential opportunities linked to USF startups.

Session 1: Opening Event, Business Concept, & Founders Fireside Chat

You'll learn the soft skills you need to build a startup, how to define your business concept, and how to determine if your idea has potential. You'll have the chance to meet founders of established startups and learn about their success stories.

Session 2: Team Dynamics

This session aims to equip students with the tools to build a strong team and tackle the initial steps of a startup. The main goal is to learn how to build the right team for your business and manage relationships with co-founders and external stakeholders.

Session 3: Team Building

Students will have the opportunity to meet other students and find the right teammates for their project.

Session 4: Understanding Investors & Legal Matters

You'll learn about the main investors at each stage of a startup's development. Understand the motivations, goals, limitations, and pros and cons of those who invest in startups. You'll then learn about the importance of properly managing all the legal aspects related to your startup, along with the most important tools for doing so.

Session 5: Lean Canvas

You'll learn how to use the Lean Business Model Canvas to develop a startup using the Lean approach.

Session 6: How to Pitch

You'll learn how to create an effective pitch to present your startup project to a potential investor.

Session 7: Metrics

You will learn to understand and approach the key metrics used to monitor project performance based on the type of business model you choose.

Session 8: Project Review

Students will have the opportunity to present their entrepreneurial project to qualified mentors and receive valuable feedback.

Session 9: Young Talents

In this session with alumni, students will gain a deeper understanding of how the USF program has shaped the professional lives of those who came before them. The alumni will share their experiences, expertise, and advice, and answer any questions the students may have.

Session 10: Project Review

Students will have the opportunity to present their entrepreneurial projects to qualified mentors and receive their valuable feedback.

<p style="text-align:justify; margin-bottom:11px"> Session 11: Final Event

During the final event, students will present their entrepreneurial projects to an audience made up of Luiss students and the LVenture team.

 

General rules

• The course lasts a total of 30 hours, and students will also be required to work on assigned project work.    To receive University Credits, students must attend 80% of the total hours, which amounts to 24 hours (therefore, a maximum of 6 hours of absence is allowed), and the instructor must deem them eligible for the final assessment.
• A tutor will be responsible for recording attendance, which will be done by signing a register. Failure to sign in and/or out will be considered an absence. There will be no exceptions to the sole criterion for awarding university credits: attendance.
• Absence hours will be calculated based on the attendance records. Depending on the schedule or personal needs, students can take a full day off or miss individual hours across multiple lessons.
• Once a student has chosen their course, they will not be able to earn University Credits through any other means.
• Students who have already earned the required University Credits for Other Activities as part of their curriculum, or who have already started attending optional language courses or other activities for which credits are recognized, are not eligible.

 

Additional information

• The course will take place during the first semester.
• The course will be offered in both Italian and English.
• All activities will take place on Friday afternoons and Saturdays (not necessarily every weekend). The 8-hour class days (from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM) include a lunch break from approximately 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, which is not counted toward the total hours.

 

The activity schedule will be available in September

 

Registration

<p style="margin-bottom:11px"> Students enrolled in the first year (academic year 2022-2023) of a Bachelor's degree program in the Departments of Economics and Management, Economics and Business, or Political Science , or in the second year (academic year 2022-2023) of the Single-Cycle Master's Degree in Law, can select the Soft Skills course they wish to take to earn credits directly through the Web Self Service while completing their study plan. 

 

For more information, please email: softskills@luiss.it