107511 - ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION

Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Ana Beatriz Pérez Zapata

Trimester: First term

Credits: 6

• English

Materials (articles, videos, guides, etc.) in English and Spanish are used during the course. 

The subject "Entrepreneurship and Innovation" of the Degree in Design and Production of Videogames is part of the subjects linked to the area of ​​business that together with "Business Administration", "Business Models", "Marketing" and others subjects, aim to enhance the entrepreneurial attitude among students and provide them with tools that can be useful if they decide to link themselves to entrepreneurship on the way to joining the world of work. In this case, this subject is after "Business Administration" (1st year) and before "Business Models" and "Marketing" which are taught in the following quarters of the 2nd year. It should be noted, therefore, that this subject follows a guiding thread about the business knowledge that the students have acquired in the 1st year and does not delve into the concepts of "Business models" and "Marketing" given that it goes into detail in the following quarters of the same course.

The content of this subject has been designed to give students an overview of entrepreneurship, from knowledge of the situation in the video game industry and the generation of ideas to their execution in a viable and sustainable way. Given the need for differentiating business projects in a highly competitive environment with companies with a high innovative culture, the subject gives a high priority to creativity and the practical tools that are used in successful companies today.

The subject combines theoretical sessions with practical sessions. As for the theoretical part, this consists of theoretical sessions, group discussions, exercises and talks by professionals in the sector. The practical part consists of group work, where the students have to develop an entrepreneurial project. The entrepreneurial project will be carried out within the framework of an international project called Start For Future (SFF), within the planned topics which are: health, energy, food, circular economy, manufacturing and mobility. In doing so, students will work on entrepreneurial skills and the development of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) associated with their chosen topic. Start For Future is an international project where students and staff from more than 20 European universities in Europe work together to promote entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills in Europe. Students will have to follow the "Learn" phase of the Start For Future project, where they will present their project (from the identified opportunity, to the idea and business model) and will receive support from mentors and industry experts. Students will also have the opportunity to network with other students in the network and to follow their entrepreneurial projects at later stages.

1. INTRODUCTION TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION
1.1 Fundamentals of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
1.2 Megatrends, fields of innovation and current technologies
1.3 Sustainable Development Goals (ODS) of the United Nations
1.4 European start-up ecosystem (Barcelona and Berlin)
1.5 Video game industry and video game development companies
2. ORGANIZATION AND TEAM BUILDING
2.1 Understand yourself and others
2.2 Complementary personalities and skills of team members
2.3 Team formation
3. DETECTION OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
3.1 Identification of opportunities
3.2 Sources of business ideas
3.3 Analysis and evaluation of opportunities
4. CREATIVITY AND DESIGN THINKING
4.1 Fundamentals of creativity
4.2 Creativity techniques
4.3 Design Thinking methodology
4.4 Discovery of customers and generation of ideas
4.5 Prototyping and testing
5. BUSINESS PLAN and BUSINESS MODEL
5.1 Fundamentals of planning vs. experimentation in start-ups
5.2 Business plan
5.3 Canvas of the business model
5.4 Analysis of competitors
5.5 Unique Value Proposition
6. LEAN STARTUP
6.1 Introduction to Lean Startup
6.2 Minimum Viable Product (PMV)
6.3 The Build-Measure-Learn cycle
7. FINANCING AND FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS
7.1 Finance for entrepreneurs
7.2 Balance point
7.3 Sources of financing
7.4 Affordable loss
8. CREATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE START-UP
8.1 Legal aspects
8.2 Culture and organization of companies
8.3 Marketing and sales
8.4 Growth and Expansion
8.5 Incubators and other support services
9. KEY INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS
9.1 Why do start-ups fail or succeed?
9.2 Entrepreneurial skills
9.3 Stories of startups and MVPs
10. PITCHING
10.1 Type of pitching
10.2 Structure
10.3 Contents
10.4 Test

Grades will be calculated according to the following percentages:

• Entrepreneurial project: 40% (in three presentations that count, respectively, 10%, 10% and 20% for the final presentation)
• Participation in the Start For Future project: 20%
• Final exam: 40%

Considerations:

• An activity not delivered or delivered late and without justification (court summons or medical issue) counts as zero (0).
• 40% of the subject grade corresponds to the final exam. The minimum exam grade is 4. Otherwise, the student will have to attend a make-up exam.
• It is the student's responsibility to avoid plagiarism in all its forms. In the case of detecting plagiarism in any activity, regardless of its scope, the students involved will get a grade of zero (0).

Make-up exam:

• Students with a grade lower than 4 on the exam grade will have another chance to pass the subject by taking a make-up exam that includes all course content.

RIES, Eric (2011). The Lean Startup. NY: Crown Publishing Group.

Brown, T. (2008). Design thinking. Harvard business review, 86 (6), 84.

Bies, B. (2017). Indie Gaming: Finding Entrepreneurial Success in Video Games. New Degree Press

Porter, ME (2008). Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. Simon and Schuster.

Baron, Robert A. (2014). Essentials of Entrepreneurship. Evidence and Practice. Edward Elgar.

Read, S., Sarasvathy, S., Dew, N., & Wiltbank, R. (2017). Effective Entrepreneurship (2nd edition). Routledge.

Gabrielsson, M., & Kirpalani, VM (2004). Born globals: how to reach new business space rapidly. International Business Review, 13 (5), 555-571.

Porter, ME, & Advantage, C. (1985). Creating and sustaining superior performance. Competitive Advantage, 167.

DEV. White Paper on the Spanish Development of Video Games. http://www.dev.org.es/es/publicaciones

Grant, RM (1991). The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: implications for strategy formulation. California management review, 33 (3), 114-135.

Sean, E. & Brown, M. (2017) Hacking Growth: How Today’s Fastest-Growing Companies Drive Breakout Success. NY: Currency. 

Urbano, D. (2005): The creation of companies in Catalonia: support organizations and attitudes towards entrepreneurial activity. Collection of CIDEM studies. Center for Innovation and Business Development.

DEV. The 3D of Video Game Financing. Link: http://www.dev.org.es/es/3dfinanciacion

Urbano, D. & Rodríguez, L. (2010): Guide to preparing a business plan. Department of Labor. Government of Catalonia. 

Welch, DE, & Welch, LS (1996). The internationalization process and networks: A strategic management perspective. Journal of International Marketing, 11-28.

Lewis, JD (2002). Partnerships for profit: Structuring and managing strategic alliances. Simon and Schuster.

Chesbrough, HW (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Harvard Business Press.