Project Summary:
In this Global Learning Experience students learned more about the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the UK by working with Loughborough University in London. The faculty of DePaul and Loughborough also worked together to develop a business idea that existed in the UK but not in the US, or one that existed in the US but not in the UK.
Each student team developed a pitch presentation of their business idea as a final project the US and UK judges, who acted as potential investors in the idea. The students learned about the startup ecosystem in London and looked for unique business ideas in the UK that could be exported to the US and or exported from the US to the UK. They also met with several entrepreneurs from the UK and Europe during this course to hear their entrepreneurial journey. Discussions focused on the similarities and differences of being an entrepreneur in the US and the UK. Ideas for new venture creation for startups in the US and UK were discussed along with the challenges of starting a new venture and potentially exporting that business idea.
Project Length:
Technology Tools Used:
Interaction Mode:
Learning Outcomes:
Team Dynamics: Team skills working together on brainstorming and idea and creating solutions. They worked through the issues of team dynamics and getting projects done on time.
Presentation Skills: Students worked on several projects and had to present their solutions, business plans to the class and to external judges for feedback. They learned how to share the workload and communicate effectively to external stakeholders.
International Business Skills: Students gained a much better understanding of how startup businesses operate in the UK and other countries. They learned about the similarities and differences in the entrepreneurial skills to be successful in any country.
Brainstorming Tools: Students learned different brainstorming and business tools like the Idea Napkin and Business Model Canvas, to learn out to get an idea out of your head and into a tool that can be used to communicate the idea and seek feedback. These tools were used to build their final presentation business idea and also look at US and UK markets in their final analysis.
Faculty Feedback:
"This
was a very engaged class and they really enjoyed listening to the guest
lectures from London and Europe. The
best part for me is to see the students react to how developing and starting a
business idea are similar and diverse around the world!"
~ Bruce Leech
"It has been great to connect Chicago and London
students through the Loughborough / DePaul Global Exchange.
Entrepreneurship is fired by brilliant ideas that solve big challenges.
In a global world we need to create diverse and interdisciplinary teams that
can look at tackling these challenges in new ways. Being able to connect
Loughborough’s entrepreneurial minds with those at DePaul has been a real
pleasure over the last weeks. I look forward to seeing how this partnership
can develop over the next few years."
~ Ben Cole
Bruce Leech
Institution: DePaul University
Discipline: Entrepreneurship
Course name: Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Ben Cole
Institution: Loughborough University
Discipline: Entrepreneurship