2.S997/2.S979: Founder's Journey: Launching and Scaling Hardware Startups

2.S977 UG / 2.S979 G | 12 units (4-0-8),

TR 3-5 5-134

Find and activate your entrepreneurial energy. What road are you embarking upon in starting a company, and what obstacles threaten your success? What is the core problem you’re solving? What else and who else will you need? If you’re thinking about starting a company, this class will enable you to learn by doing. You will solve real-life hardware startup problems, with the help of mentors and leaders from the Boston tech ecosystem. Topics you’ll explore include: challenges related to intellectual property negotiations with large incumbents; servicing equipment out in the wild; finding product-market fit; resolving manufacturing and quality issues; scaling up; and reaching strong gross margins. You’ll hear from guest speakers who will share their experiences – successful and unsuccessful – traveling this rocky path with its moments of crisis and triumph.

Although we will cover the basics of new venture creation, this is not a class about writing a business plan. Rather it’s about grasping the essence of the journey you’re about to undertake, and understanding the mindset required to be an entrepreneur developing a mechanical product. You will learn critical thinking skills that will help you assess the viability of a particular technology before you spend the years required to build a physical product. This class provides an exploration of leadership, innovation, and creativity as seen through the lens of a mechanical tech startup founder. You will gain broad insight into what’s required to turn a novel vision into a useful product.