From Idea to Impact: Sustainable Venture Creation
ECTS : 3
Volume horaire : 18
Description du contenu de l'enseignement :
This experiential course introduces students to the entrepreneurial process of designing and validatingsustainable ventures. Through teamwork, creativity, and analytical rigor, students will transform ideas intoviable and impactful business models. They will learn to identify opportunities, validate customer needs,design value propositions, test business models, and effectively communicate their project to investors and partners. Course objectives:
- Understand the entrepreneurial process from idea to pitch;
- Identify, analyze, and validate business opportunities;
- Develop teamwork, leadership, and communication skills in an entrepreneurial context;
- Apply financial, strategic, and marketing principles to a concrete project;
- Present a viable, sustainable, and impactful business concept.
This course isn't on Moodle. 1 Introduction & Team Building -- course overview, team formation,expectations. Topic :
2 Vision & Entrepreneurial Purpose, Customer & Problem Discovery -- defining mission, values, and impact goals, identifying target segments and pain points. Topic :
- Vision statement, customer persona, problem map.
3 Pain & Solution Fit -- ideation, testing assumptions, first prototypes Topic :
- Solution sketches, problem solution fit.
4 Competition, Differentiation & Customer Acquisition Strategy --mapping competitors and analyzing value gaps, marketing channels, funnel design, first experiments. Topic :
- Competitor matrix;
- Acquisition plan.
5 Market Studies, Pricing Strategies -- market sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM),value chain, and trends, value-based pricing and revenue model design. Topic :
- Market analysis report;
- Pricing strategy memo.
6 Public Speaking, Pitch Preparation, Final Oral Presentation storytelling, visuals, and delivery, venture pitch before jury. Topic :
- Pitch deck rehearsal;
- Final pitch + executive summary.
Compétence à acquérir :
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Generate and evaluate business ideas with social and economic impact;
- Conduct basic market and customer research;
- Design a value proposition and test it through feedback;
- Develop a financial and strategic roadmap;
- Pitch a coherent venture project before a jury;
- Reflect on personal growth and entrepreneurial mindset development.
Mode de contrôle des connaissances :
- Component: Individual Participation. Description: Preliminary pitch with feedback. Weight: 20%
- Component: Final Oral Pitch. Description: Final team presentation before jury. Weight: 60%
- Component: Written deliverables. Description: Lean Canvas, market study, 5-year projection, executive summary. Weight: 20%
The numerical grade distribution will dictate the final grade. The passing grade for a course is 10/20.
Class participation: Active class participation - this is what makes classes lively and instructive. Come on time and prepared. Class participation is based on quality of comments, not quantity.
Exam policy: Unexcused absences from exams or failure to submit cases will result in zero grades in the calculation of numerical averages. Exams are collected at the end of examination periods.
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Students are expected to attend all classes, arrive on time, and stay for the entire session. Repeated absences or lateness may affect the final grade.
Class Participation Active participation is encouraged, as it contributes to making classes more engaging and instructive. Students are expected to come prepared and contribute thoughtfully to discussions. When participation is part of the course assessment, it is evaluated based on the quality of contributions rather than their quantity.
Exam Policy Students are not allowed to bring any materials into exams, except those explicitly authorized by the instructor. Unexcused absences from exams or failure to submit assigned cases will result in a grade of zero when calculating final averages. All exams must be submitted at the end of the examination period.
Communication and Grading All questions or concerns regarding grading or course policies must follow the official procedures. No direct negotiation with instructors about grades or assessments is permitted.
Be aware of the rules in Université Paris Dauphine about plagiarism and cheating during exams. All work turned in for this course must be your own work, or that of your own group. Working as part of a group implies that you are an active participant and fully contributed to the output produced by that group.Bibliographie, lectures recommandées :
- Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup. Crown Business;
- Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation. Wiley;
- Aulet, B. (2013). Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup. Wiley;
- Sinek, S. (2009). Start With Why. Penguin;
- Blank, S., Dorf, B. (2012). The Startup Owner's Manual. K and S Ranch;
- Kawasaki, G. (2004). The Art of the Start. Penguin;
- Gallo, C. (2014). Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds. St. Martin's Press;
- Harvard Business Review (2019). HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations. Harvard Business Review Press;
- Sachs, J. (2015). The Age of Sustainable Development. Columbia University Press.
Gilles Mautin is the founder of The Cantillon, an entrepreneurial education ecosystem connecting sustainability, leadership, and innovation. He teaches entrepreneurship and management at PSL, CentraleSupélec, and INSEAD, using experiential learning and strategic frameworks to help students develop both entrepreneurial skills and self-awareness.