2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Entrepreneurship courses

Master's Introduction to Entrepreneurship 2

Academic unit or major: Entrepreneurship courses
Instructor(s): Nobuhiko Seki
Class Format: Lecture (Face-to-face)
Media-enhanced courses: -
Day of week/Period (Classrooms): 3-4 Tue (S4-202(S422))
Class: -
Course Code: ENT.V402
Number of credits: 100
Course offered: 2025
Offered quarter: 4Q
Syllabus updated: Sep 22, 2025
Language: English

※ Courses with parentheses in the course number have different subject codes depending on the student's year of admission.

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

This course aims to equip students with the essential skills and knowledge needed to launch new projects as entrepreneurs. It covers the entire process—from defining research interests and market targets to building business models and developing products—while examining the opportunities and challenges faced by today's entrepreneurs, including fundraising. The course is designed to help students understand both the theoretical and practical approaches to entrepreneurship, enhancing their ability to generate and promote innovative ideas as entrepreneurs, as well as　researchers, innovators within organizations, and social entrepreneurs.

Course description and aims

Through this course, students will acquire the following abilities:
1. Develop a fundamental understanding of different forms of entrepreneurship (commercial, non-profit, social, intrapreneurial).
2. Acquire the ability to analyze customer segments and market opportunities based on personal interests.
3. Construct and validate hypotheses through quantified value propositions, service design, and customer experience.
4. Identify customer DMUs (Decision-making units) and develop logistics and outreach strategies.
5. Design practical business plans, including revenue or fundraising models.
6. Design and implement an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to validate ideas and prepare for funding.
7. Formulate growth and scale-up strategies and evaluate their feasibility.

Student learning outcomes

実務経験と講義内容との関連 (又は実践的教育内容)

The professor, who has extensive experience ranging from research on decentralized networks in Bali to project management and entrepreneurship—including work in the automotive industry, renewable energy, Linux OS startups, and international initiatives—will lecture on the significance, perspectives, and inevitability of startups in the modern age.
Major Achievements
・Le Mans 24-Hour Race Project (Mazda)
・Lectures on energy-saving technology transfer in 10 cities across China (Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Japan)
・Renewable energy projects (Nishi-Izu Town in Shizuoka Prefecture, Sugadaira Highlands in Nagano Prefecture, and others)
・Founder of a Linux OS (Client Cloud Computing) startup
・Smart meter project for the Government of Bangladesh
・Corporate turnaround project with Swedish SAAB Corporation
・Food security project in the Middle East
・Lectures on entrepreneurship and related topics at Kochi University of Technology and other institutions
・Drafted the establishment plan for the School of Data & Innovation at Kochi University of Technology
・Member of the Skill Definition Committee of the Japan Data Scientist Society
・Awarded by the Indonesian National Parliament as an “Intellectual on Bali”
and others

Keywords

Target analysis, value creation, logistics, business models, product development, growth strategies

Competencies

Specialist skills
Intercultural skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking skills
Practical and/or problem-solving skills
In the context of pre-seed uncertainty, cultivate the ability to construct funding and growth strategies through market exploration, hypothesis validation, and MVP implementation.

Class flow

Lectures
Group discussions
Thought exercises using case studies

Course schedule/Objectives

	Course schedule	Objectives
Class 1	Orientation: Explanation of course objectives, expected outcomes, and evaluation methods. Introduction to various forms of entrepreneurship.	mini report
Class 2	Customer Identification and Market Analysis: Market segmentation, securing beachhead markets, calculating TAM (Total Accessible Market), profiling personas.	mini report
Class 3	Value Creation and Service: Lifetime use cases, quantifying value propositions, developing value creation in different business models. Learn the importance of service design and customer experience. Pre-class Assignment: Plan logistics and outreach strategies for a chosen field.	mini report
Class 4	Logistics: Define the customer’s DMU (Decision Making Unit), map the customer acquisition process, and understand logistics. Explore outreach and engagement strategies for non-profits and social enterprises.	mini report
Class 5	Revenue Models and Business Plans: Design business models, calculate customer LTV (Lifetime Value), and introduce various revenue models. Learn fundraising strategies for non-profits and social entrepreneurs. Pre-class Assignment: Submit the concept and development plan for an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) or service.	mini report
Class 6	Product Development and Design: Identify key prerequisites and understand the concept of MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Learn about product design that considers social and environmental impacts. Pre-class Assignment: Create a strategic plan for the growth and scale-up of your project.	mini report
Class 7	Growth Strategies and Business Expansion: Calculate achievable TAM, plan products and services, and learn how to measure growth. Study scaling strategies and challenges for non-profits and social entrepreneurs. Assignment: Submit a business plan for the virtual project	final report

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

Course materials are provided during classes.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Disciplined Entrepreneurship by Bill Aulet
Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder
Entrepreneurial Management Book by E.G. Flamholtz
Management by Peter F. Drucker
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Mission Economy Mariana Mazzucato

Evaluation methods and criteria

Grades will be based on in-class participation and dialogue, discussions on the LMS, weekly mini-reports related to class themes, and a final report. Active participation in class discussions is particularly emphasized in this course, so students are expected to engage proactively. To facilitate this, you'll need to prepare and review the class materials.
・　In-class participation/dialogue and LMS discussions: 40%
・　Mini-reports: 30%
・　Final report: 30%

Related courses

ENT.B201 ： Introduction to Entrepreneurship
ENT.V401 ： Master's Introduction to Entrepreneurship 1
ENT.V601 ： Doctoral Introduction to Entrepreneurship 1
ENT.V602 ： Doctoral Introduction to Entrepreneurship 2

Prerequisites

Studying either ENT.B201: Introduction to Entrepreneurship or ENT.V401: Master’s Introduction to Entrepreneurship I or both can lead to a deeper understanding.

Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).

cee.info[at]jim.titech.ac.jp

Office hours

Please feel free to contact me by email at any time if you have any questions or concerns.

Other

GA1M
In each class session, a mini-report assignment related to the next topic will be given.
Discussions outside of class will take place on the LMS, and their content will be reflected in the final grade.