Business Innovation Seminar
Faculty: Davide Rovera

BUSINESS INNOVATION


Credits: DANIEL DIAZ from Pixabay

Syllabus


In an ever-changing world, where the speed of innovation and the amount of external forces and drives is constantly growing, the capability to quickly evaluate opportunities and innovate is paramount for the creation of successful businesses. 

The Business Innovation Seminar is designed to provide students from architecture and design backgrounds the key understanding of what makes a project a viable business idea, how to analyse markets and industries, how to validate ideas early on and how to iterate and innovate on business models. Based on the Lean Methodology and mixing together theory, real-life examples, practical exercises and 1-1 feedback, it gives students a toolbox and a mental mindset to approach opportunities during their professional careers.  All the content will be directly applied by students on their own final thesis and presented in a final pitch to a Jury of experts.  

The aim of the seminar is to provide students with the tools to understand and evaluate business opportunities based on their own research projects. It provides a framework to analyse ideas, tools and references to understand the market and guidelines on how to understand whether a venture can be successfully created. The core competencies are complemented with an introduction to business model innovation and practical exercises. 

Specific objectives: 

  • Learn how to evaluate business opportunities
  • Understand and apply the concept of Product Market Fit
  • Understand and apply the concept of Unit Economics
  • Recognise the core elements of a successful venture
  • Develop and Iterate on a Business Model for a specific idea

Learning Objectives


At course completion the student will:

  • learn the basic principles of Circular Economy and Circular Design (matter, energy, waste cycles) and their application to the Built Environment through multi-scalar design strategies
  • become familiar with circular design strategies
  • be able to identify areas where circular economy principles can be applied in the context of the built environment

KEYWORDS Business Model, Business Model Innovation, Lean Startup, Product Market Fit, Unit Economics.