Entrepreneurial Financing and Resource Mobilization
The ability to mobilize necessary resources is a crucial aspect of creating a viable start-up, independently of the goal and sector of the start-up. In this course, students will work on different aspects of resource mobilization. The course will stimulate students to a reflective and critical thinking in relation to the acquisition of capital and other forms of resources. Students will get a connection between theoretical concepts and practical application through the implementation of own experiences and projects in the course activities.
The course focus on the process of mobilizing resources. Both classic financing theories and contemporary perspectives will be dealt with, for example bootstrapping, bricolage and the role of social capital in the funding process. Further, focus will be on different funding sources, such as business angels, venture capital and crowdfunding. A central aspect of the course is that value creation goes beyond only financial goals. Ethical aspects of resource mobilization will therefore also be discussed.
Special attention is given to the practical application of theoretical perspectives, and students will apply and discuss the course’s content in their own authentic projects.
Knowledge:
After the course, the student should have;
- Advanced knowledge in classic and contemporary theories within entrepreneurial financing
- Advanced knowledge about the resource mobilization process of a start-up
- Advanced knowledge about different financial sources
- The ability to apply theoretical knowledge within entrepreneurial financing on an authentic project
Skills:
After the course, the student should;
- Be able to analyze and critically reflect on existing theories within financing and resource mobilization
- Be able to analyze and evaluate different financing- and/or resource options for an authentic project
- Be able to independently apply the mobilization of resources in relation to the specific needs of an authentic project
General competences:
After the course, the student should be able to:
- Theoretically and practically analyze and evaluate different alternatives for financing and resource mobilization for an authentic project
- Communicate an authentic project’s resource mobilizing plan and/or process
- Reflect on holistic, ethical and sustainable aspects of financing and resource mobilization
Students need to have access to thorough information about (and preferably involvement in) an authentic start-up project which will be used as learning cases in the course activities.
It is a prerequisite that the student has a laptop
The course uses following teaching methods:
The students will work in teams with their own authentic project. The assignments will use the project as the case foundation. The course will have lectures, seminars and discussions, where the theoretical content will be viewed with a focus on the students’ different authentic projects. Students will present their work with peer and faculty feedback.