Validation and Venture Building

Course goals

Learning objectives
At the end of the course the student is able to:

• Apply HR theory to identify individual strengths and assign roles effectively in high-performing entrepreneurial teams.
• Apply organizational theory to optimize collaboration and innovation in venture building.
• Test and refine business models through rigorous quantitative and qualitative validation techniques.
• Assess market feedback and organizational performance to iteratively improve launch approaches and team effectiveness.
• Integrate theoretical knowledge with practical application in real-world entrepreneurial contexts.
• Communicate findings and recommendations effectively to diverse audiences.

Content

The Validation and Venture Building  course serves as a bridge between theoretical entrepreneurship concepts and practical application, with particular emphasis on the role of data and evidence-based decision making in modern venture creation. It directly builds upon insights from courses such as Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurial Marketing, while providing essential preparation for advanced courses including Platform Economy and Business, and specialized entrepreneurship electives.

This course equips students to build data-driven ventures from ideation to early validation, replacing intuition with evidence. Students learn how to form high-performing entrepreneurial teams, master experimental design and hypothesis testing, and apply these skills in real-world challenges.

The course's integration with the Startup in Residence program provides students with access to real organizational challenges and potential industry partnerships, creating authentic learning experiences that bridge academic theory with practical application. This connection to the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Netherlands enhances students' understanding of contemporary entrepreneurial challenges and opportunities.

The course is designed around a 13 to 14-hour work week and consists of two interrelated main elements: Content Sessions and the Startup in Residence Project. This integrated approach ensures that theoretical knowledge is immediately applied in practical contexts, reinforcing learning and developing both conceptual understanding and practical skills.

Format
The course is an interactive course that stimulates active participation and discussions during tutorials and feedback sessions:

• Lectures (all students together)
• Interactive tutorials (maximum of 30 students)
• Startup in Residence Project
• Feedback sessions (ongoing support, Q&A, dedicated team consultations)

In case online access is required for this course and you are not in the position to buy the access code, you are advised to contact the course coordinator for an alternative solution. Please note that access codes are not re-usable meaning that codes from second hand books do not work, as well as access codes from books with a different ISBN. Separate or spare codes are usually not available.