Note: This unit version is currently being edited and is subject to change!
ELEC5701: Technology Venture Creation (2020 - Semester 2)
| Unit: | ELEC5701: Technology Venture Creation [not offered in 2021] (6 CP) |
| Mode: | Normal-Day |
| On Offer: | Yes |
| Level: | Postgraduate |
| Faculty/School: | School of Electrical & Computer Engineering |
| Unit Coordinator/s: |
Dr Shirvanimoghaddam, Mahyar
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| Session options: | Semester 2 |
| Versions for this Unit: |
| Campus: | Camperdown/Darlington |
| Pre-Requisites: | None. |
| Prohibitions: | ENGG5102. |
| Brief Handbook Description: | This unit of study prepares graduating students with insight and skills in how to turn a concept into a high technology startup company. The class will provide students with knowledge, practical experience and frameworks to assist in evaluating the market for a technology product or service, the design & viability of business models around it, the formulation of a funding-reading business plan & financials, capital raising options & process, venture capital, building distribution channels, intellectual property protection, putting together an A-grade management team, term sheets & funding documentation, technology sales models and going global. We will look at real world case studies of successful technology companies (and flame outs). Does Twitter have a viable business model? Will Facebook eat its lunch? Is YouTube just burning cash? Will Google rule the world? During the period of the course, students will form teams and write a business plan around a concept they propose. Each student will assume a role in the team (CEO, CTO, CFO, VP Sales & Marketing). The plan will be judged by a panel of real world venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and angel investors to determine the final grade for the course. Be warned that a serious commitment will be required in developing the concept into a viable business plan. The outcome, however, will be very rewarding to those students interested in starting the next Google. This course is taught by instructors experienced in technology startups & venture capital. The course will include a number of guest lectures by industry. |
| Assumed Knowledge: | None. |
| Lecturer/s: |
Mr Alexander, James
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| Timetable: | ELEC5701 Timetable | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: |
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| T&L Activities: | Workgroup: Visiting professional or Teambased interaction exercise |
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.
(6) Communication and Inquiry/ Research (Level 3)
1. Understand what venture project stakeholders requires of them and what they can require of others
2. Communicate with Financial, Design, Development, Marketing and Production Departments
(8) Professional Effectiveness and Ethical Conduct (Level 3)
3. Analyse the roles of engineers in creating productive, economic, successful venture projects in a variety of engineering projects
4. Analyse the social, ethical and legal issues that arise from venture economic activities.
5. Analyse the economic, social and ethical issues involved in any engineering project in which the student might become involved
6. Understand the requirements of financial, supply chain, development team, marketing and production interfaces
7. Understand the main operational requirements of a venture entrepreneur working in industry
8. Identify and record the intellectual property content of their work
9. Understand the requirements of a quality system
10. Understand the working environment of a project team
| Assessment Methods: |
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| Assessment Description: |
The University has authorised and mandated the use of text-based similarity detecting software for all text-based written assignments Late submission for assessment components other than Quiz and Final Exam: 1) There is no penalty for submissions until 11:59pm of the due day. 2) For submissions that are late than 11:59 of the due day, 15% penalty will be applied for each day. Submissions that are late for one week will be given ZERO marks. |
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| Grading: |
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| Policies & Procedures: | See the policies page of the faculty website at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/student-policies/ for information regarding university policies and local provisions and procedures within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies. |
Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
| Week | Description |
| Week 1 | Course Overview & Introduction to Technology Companies |
| Week 2 | Evaluating Opportunities and Disruptive Technologies |
| Week 3 | Startup Company Basics |
| Week 4 | Tutorial 1 |
| Business Models and Market Opportunities | |
| Assessment Due: Assignment | |
| Week 5 | Discussion and Presentations |
| Tutorial 2 | |
| Week 6 | Competitive Advantage & Marketplaces |
| Tutorial 3 | |
| Week 7 | Tutorial 4 |
| Founders and the Team | |
| Week 8 | Tutorial 5 |
| Venture Capital and Terms | |
| Week 9 | Tutorial 6 |
| Financial Plans & Startup Pitching | |
| Assessment Due: Assignment/quiz | |
| Week 10 | Tutorial 7 |
| Quiz | |
| Week 11 | Tutorial 8 |
| Future of Capitalism and Intellectual Property | |
| Week 12 | Exits, Acquisitions & Initial Public Offerings |
| Week 13 | Final Pitches and Assignment |
| Assessment Due: Assignment (Pitch and Final Submission) | |
| STUVAC (Week 14) | No lectures |
| Exam Period | No Lectures |
Course Relations
The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.
Course Goals
This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:
| Attribute | Practiced | Assessed |
| (6) Communication and Inquiry/ Research (Level 3) | No | 20.36% |
| (7) Project and Team Skills (Level 3) | No | 0% |
| (8) Professional Effectiveness and Ethical Conduct (Level 3) | No | 79.65% |
| (5) Interdisciplinary, Inclusiveness, Influence (Level 3) | No | 0% |
| (4) Design (Level 3) | No | 0% |
| (2) Engineering/ IT Specialisation (Level 3) | No | 0% |
| (3) Problem Solving and Inventiveness (Level 3) | No | 0% |
| (1) Maths/ Science Methods and Tools (Level 2) | No | 0% |
These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018 which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018 for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.
