Starting Your First Company: Lessons from the Trenches
Faculty
Max Meyer
CEO at Masii.com
Course length
Duration
Total hours
Credits
Language
Course type
Fee for single course
Fee for degree students
Skills you’ll learn
Overview
Plenty has been written about entrepreneurship, but precious little has dissected the myriad of challenges (and opportunities) that face young first-time entrepreneurs. Despite assertions from prominent investors and thinkers that “it’s all about the idea,” most 20-something first time founders might say they faced a different stack of cards where lack of age and experience does play a part – sometimes for the better! – in determining outcomes.
This course seeks to provide a first-hand look into the life of a young entrepreneur who is in the middle of starting and running his first companies – with insights from other young entrepreneurs who are together in the trenches. The objective is to help students cut through the noise, and provide an extremely hands-on and interactive dialogue on navigating the first weeks, months, and years of a first business.
Students will practice writing pitch decks, pitching ideas, selecting business ideas, and ultimately taking the first (albeit terrifying) steps to starting their own business – it can be done in one week!
Learning highlights
- Understand experiences of first time founders through first-hand stories and lessons learned from the trenches; Max is 27 and his friends are too - learn about their ups and downs of starting companies around the world
- The new consumer of the XXI Century - the super consumer
- Practice pitching your idea in a mock-VC setting simulating the world's top VCs. Learn what makes a great pitch, practice and refine yours, and prepare for the unexpected
- All about location: One session focused on location-based products and services The ultimate goal is for you to get a clearer sense of what you may be up against as first time or early stage entrepreneurs. It's a week devoted to the things the instructor and his friends wish they knew before venturing out!
Course outline
5 classes
Session 1
What’s it like for a first-time founder?
Session 2
Overcoming decision paralysis: Finding your perfect idea
Session 3
Let’s see that pitch! Expert tips on pitching investors, and how to build your narrative.
Session 4
The true checklist: How other people say to start a business, and how it actually works out.
Session 5
How Digital Companies Work: Culture, Leadership, Innovation. Future Trends.
Prerequisites
This course is one of three in a wholistic series.
Students that have already taken MSL-111 and those with prior experience with HTML, CSS, and Javascript building simple web pages will be good candidates for this module.
Max Meyer is an American serial entrepreneur, with experience starting and scaling businesses in the United States and Asia. After graduating with honors from Harvard College, he joined McKinsey & Company in China where he was the fastest rising Associate in McKinsey Asia history.
In 2015 he left to start Masii.com – a financial portal for SE Asia which is now named on the KPMG list of top 100 fintech companies in the world. His company serves more than 1 million monthly visitors and plays a vital role in Thailand's digital transformation. In 2020, Max was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Finance and Venture Capital.
See full profileApply for this course
Starting Your First Company: Lessons from the Trenches
by Max Meyer
Total hours
15 Hours
Dates
Sep 25 - Sep 29, 2017
Fee for single course
€500
Fee for degree students
€250
How to secure your spot
Complete the form below to kickstart your application
Schedule your Harbour.Space interview
If successful, get ready to join us on campus
FAQ
Will I receive a certificate after completion?
Yes. Upon completion of the course, you will receive a certificate signed by the director of the program your course belonged to.
Do I need a visa?
This depends on your case. Please check with the Spanish or Thai consulate in your country of residence about visa requirements. We will do our part to provide you with the necessary documents, such as the Certificate of Enrollment.
Can I get a discount?
Yes. The easiest way to enroll in a course at a discounted price is to register for multiple courses. Registering for multiple courses will reduce the cost per individual course. Please ask the Admissions Office for more information about the other kinds of discounts we offer and what you can do to receive one.