Thank you for your interest in participating with my University of Michigan class, “Innovation for Urban Impact.” In this class, we explore the ways in which entrepreneurs can apply innovation and technology to improve the quality of life in urban communities. I created this course in 2015, and students have found it to be a rewarding experience that prepares them for a broad range of post-graduation opportunities. Students have indicated that one of the most rewarding aspects of the course is their engagement with practicing urban entrepreneurs and actual urban communities.
Course Organization
The heart of this course is the work that our student teams do in cooperation with our Urban Entrepreneur Partners (UEPs, or Partners). Each team of 4-6 students will work to understand, document, and analyze the business model of the Partner’s venture. Each team will then apply innovation and technology to suggest improvements to the business model. The semester will culminate with the student teams’ presentation of their “new and improved” business model to a group of community stakeholders, as well as to any Urban Entrepreneur Partners who wish to attend. We will of course make the results of the students’ work available to our Partners.
We seek to work with entrepreneurs who are building businesses that serve urban communities in new and innovative ways, and whose businesses could potentially grow to serve many similarly situated communities. Here are the basic criteria for the selection of Urban Entrepreneur Partners:
- Provides a product or service that addresses an important urban community nee
- Seeks growth driven by innovation and technology
- In business for at least one year, with at least two employees (including UEP)
Urban Entrepreneur Partner Responsibilities
The quality of work done by our student teams depends directly on the quality of engagement they have with their UEP. We seek Partners who support the mission of the course and find the interaction with students invigorating. We expect that our Partners will:
- Participate in a recorded interview (approximately one hour, via Zoom or in person) with student team members to share the business story and business model information.
- Participate, via Zoom or in person, in a classroom discussion of the business. The session will give all students an opportunity to know the entrepreneur and the business model.
- Respond to e-mail and other electronic inquiries from students, and in general work to support the success of the student team.
Student Responsibilities
Student teams work hard to deliver on the expectations of the Innovation for Urban Impact course. Students are expected to:
- Participate fully in the initial classroom discussion with the UEP.
- Research the UEP’s business and the marketplace.
- Study, document, and analyze the UEP’s existing business model.
- Connect with marketplace stakeholders to further understand the business model and to validate potential improvements.
- Apply innovation and technology to devise and suggest improvements to the existing business model.
- Produce a business profile and slide presentation to summarize the student team’s work.
Thank you for your interest in working with U-M Innovation for Urban Impact.
You can find general information on the subject of urban-focused entrepreneurship at this web site: urbanei.org (Urban Entrepreneurship Initiative).
You can find more information about the Innovation for Urban Impact course at this location: https://davidtarver.com/u-m-ue-course.
David