Unique Opportunity for Students
A 52-week structure allowing students to move from:
Concept → Validation → Execution → Traction → Investor readiness in a way that actually resembles real startup building.
With this approach we are no longer offering students a “course” but a rather a career by building companies with them as mentors within an MBA-integrated venture studio model.
That distinction matters because universities, investors, and students will perceive the value very differently.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Duration
52 Weeks
Weekly Time Commitment
- 6-hour weekly coaching sessions delivered over 2 days (3-hour sessions)
- Venture execution assignments
- 4-hour mentorship sessions per month
- 2-hour founder workshops per month
- Investor engagement (final 2 months after proof of concept and soft launch)
Format
Hybrid preferred:
- Live workshops
- Founder labs
- Mentorship
- Team execution sprints
- Demo days
- Investor panels
CORE PROGRAM STRUCTURE
The one-year program is divided into 4 major phases:
| Phase | Weeks | Focus |
| Phase 1 | Weeks 1–13 | Founder Mindset + Opportunity Validation |
| Phase 2 | Weeks 14–26 | Venture Design + MVP Development |
| Phase 3 | Weeks 27–39 | Traction + Growth Execution |
| Phase 4 | Weeks 40–52 | Fundraising + Investor Readiness |
PHASE 1 — FOUNDER DISCOVERY & VALIDATION
Weeks 1–13
Goal: Teach students how to think like founders and identify scalable venture opportunities.
WEEK 1 — Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Founder psychology
- Risk tolerance
- Opportunity thinking
- Why startups fail
- First-principles entrepreneurship
Deliverable
Founder Vision Statement
WEEK 2 — Identifying Broken Industries
- Market inefficiencies
- Legacy disruption
- Trend analysis
- AI, climate tech, health tech opportunities
Workshop
Industry pain-point mapping
WEEK 3 — Problem Discovery
- High-value problems
- Human-centered entrepreneurship
- Jobs-to-be-done framework
Deliverable
Problem Opportunity Brief
WEEK 4 — Customer Discovery
- Interview frameworks
- Behavioral validation
- Avoiding confirmation bias
Assignment
10 customer interviews
WEEK 5 — Customer Personas
- User segmentation
- B2B vs B2C psychology
- Buying behavior
Deliverable
Customer Persona Matrix
WEEK 6 — Market Research
- TAM/SAM/SOM
- Competitive landscapes
- Category analysis
Deliverable
Market Opportunity Report
WEEK 7 — Competitive Positioning
- Differentiation
- Category creation
- Blue ocean strategies
Workshop
Competitive matrix
WEEK 8 — Business Model Design
- Subscription models
- Marketplace economics
- Licensing
- SaaS models
- Direct to consumer model
Deliverable
Business Model Canvas
WEEK 9 — Pricing Strategy
- Pricing stakeholders
- Value-based pricing
- Enterprise pricing
- Freemium models
Workshop
Pricing simulation and its impact on profitability
WEEK 10 — Lean Startup Execution
- MVP philosophy
- Rapid testing
- Validation metrics
Assignment
Prototype concept
WEEK 11 — AI & Automation for Startups
- AI-enabled operations
- AI-assisted marketing
- AI product opportunities
Workshop
AI startup tools lab
WEEK 12 — Founder Communication
- Public speaking
- Founder storytelling
- Vision articulation
Deliverable
Founder introduction pitch
WEEK 13 — Validation Review
Students present:
- validated opportunity
- customer evidence
- market potential
Milestone
GO / NO-GO venture review
PHASE 2 — BUILDING THE VENTURE
Weeks 14–26
Goal:
Transform ideas into operational startups.
WEEK 14 — MVP Planning
- Feature prioritization
- Product roadmaps
- User journeys
WEEK 15 — No-Code & Rapid Development
- Bubble
- Webflow
- AI-assisted product development
WEEK 16 — UX & Customer Experience
- Behavioral UX
- Retention psychology
- Simplicity in product design
WEEK 17 — Branding Fundamentals
- Naming
- Visual identity
- Brand positioning
WEEK 18 — Storytelling & Narrative
- Mission-driven branding
- Investor narrative
- Media positioning
WEEK 19 — Website & Landing Page Development
- Conversion-focused design
- Lead capture systems
Deliverable
Functional landing page
WEEK 20 — Growth Marketing
- Paid ads
- SEO
- Community growth
- Influencer strategies
WEEK 21 — Social Proof & Trust
- Testimonials
- PR strategy
- Authority positioning
WEEK 22 — Sales Fundamentals, finding your customer
- B2B and B2C selling
- Enterprise outreach
- Cold email systems
WEEK 23 — Legal & IP Fundamentals
- Incorporation
- Founder agreements
- Patents
- Trademarks
Guest speaker:
startup lawyer
WEEK 24 — Financial Foundations
- Revenue models
- Cost structures
- Burn rate
WEEK 25 — Startup Operations
- Team structures
- Hiring
- Productivity systems
WEEK 26 — Mid-Year Venture Review
Students present:
- MVP
- early traction
- customer feedback
- operational and go to market readiness
PHASE 3 — TRACTION & SCALING
Weeks 27–39
Goal:
Teach how startups gain momentum and scale intelligently.
WEEK 27 — Product-Market Fit
- Retention indicators
- User engagement metrics
WEEK 28 — Customer Acquisition
- CAC
- Funnels
- Conversion optimization
WEEK 29 — Community Building
- Brand communities
- Loyalty systems
- Advocacy
WEEK 30 — Data-Driven Growth
- KPIs
- dashboards
- startup analytics
WEEK 31 — Partnership Strategy
- Strategic alliances
- Distribution partnerships
WEEK 32 — Enterprise Sales
- Corporate pilots
- Procurement navigation
WEEK 33 — Scaling Operations
- Process systems
- Delegation
- Automation
WEEK 34 — Hiring & Leadership
- Founder leadership
- Team dynamics
- Culture building
WEEK 35 — Media & PR
- Press releases
- Podcast strategy
- Thought leadership
WEEK 36 — Sustainability & ESG Innovation
Strong differentiator for your program.
Topics:
- climate entrepreneurship
- health tech
- clean technology
- ESG venture trends
WEEK 37 — Negotiation & Deal Making
- Investor negotiations
- Partnership negotiations
WEEK 38 — Crisis & Failure Management
- Founder resilience
- Pivoting
- Downturn survival
WEEK 39 — Traction Review
Teams present:
- growth metrics
- traction evidence
- scaling roadmap
PHASE 4 — FUNDRAISING & INVESTOR READINESS
Weeks 40–52
Goal:
Prepare ventures for real capital raising.
WEEK 40 — Startup Finance
- Cash flow
- Forecasting
- Runway analysis
WEEK 41 — Venture Capital Fundamentals
- VC economics
- Fund structures
- Investment theses
WEEK 42 — Angel Investors vs VCs
- Funding stages
- Strategic capital
WEEK 43 — Startup Valuation
- Comparable analysis
- Risk pricing
- Valuation psychology
WEEK 44 — Cap Tables & Equity
- Dilution
- SAFE notes
- Convertible notes
WEEK 45 — Building a VC Pitch Deck
- Slide structure
- Narrative flow
WEEK 46 — Investor Psychology
- What investors really evaluate
- Founder risk perception
WEEK 47 — Pitch Rehearsals
Mock investor sessions
WEEK 48 — Due Diligence Preparation
- Data rooms
- Financial documentation
- Legal preparation
WEEK 49 — Demo Day Preparation
Final refinement
WEEK 50 — Investor Demo Day
Invite:
- VCs
- angels
- accelerators
- alumni founders
WEEK 51 — Founder Reflection & Strategic Planning
- Next-stage planning
- VC onboarding
- Term sheets, equity structure, and action plan goal setting going forward
WEEK 52 — Graduation & Venture Launch Summit
- Certification
- Awards
- Media coverage
BONUS COMPONENTS
Monthly Founder Fireside Chats
Invite:
- Weekly Podcast with founders
- Traveling to connect with other entrepreneurs and VCs in Silicon Valley
EWB Venture Labs is an entrepreneurship program in partnership with forward looking universities who want to build their curriculum around producing investable companies.