Open2012 new-graduate-course-sustainability-marchese

A New Graduate Course in Sustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for

Scientists and EngineersAnthony J. Marchese1, Gregory D. Graff2, Paul

Hudnut3 and Rick Turley4

1Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2Department of Agricultural Resource Economics, 3Department of

Management, 4Department of Computer and Information Systems

Colorado State UniversityFort Collins, CO 80523

Sustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers

Overview• Institutional Context

• Motivation

• NCIIA Grant and Initial Planning

• Curriculum Development

• Implementation (First Iteration)

• Assessment

• Second Iteration and The Path Forward



• Motivation




• Assessment


Institutional ContextSustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers

Colorado State University

• Land Grant Mission (Ag Sciences, Engineering, Extension)

• Peace Corps Legacy

• Engineering Research and Focus on Clean Energy

• $545 million per faculty in engineering

• Clean Energy and BOP Spinoff Companies

• Envirofit International, Solix Biofuels, Abound Solar

• GSSE Program

• Entrepreneurial Community but No Formal Entrepreneurship Courses for Engineering Grad Students

Institutional Context

CSU Peace Corps Legacy

•Former CSU Civil Engineering Professor Maury Albertson (1919 – 2009), was director of the U.S. Congressional study on the Point 4 Youth Corps (an early name for the Peace Corps initiative).

•Albertson and CSU colleagues authored the book, "New Frontiers for American Youth - Perspective on the Peace Corps," which served as the blueprint for the Peace Corps.

• To date, over 1500 CSU alumni have served in the Peace Corps since its creation in 1961.

• In 2010-2011, CSU was named 10th among universities with the most nominations for Peace Corps service and 1st in the nation for the recruitment of highly skilled volunteers.

• Currently, 93 CSU alumni serve as volunteers.

• On a per-faculty basis, NSF ranked Colorado State 1st in the nation among all public universities in federally funded research.

• Annual research expenditures of $546,000 per faculty member in FY10.

• Strong programs in engines and energy conversion, atmospheric sciences, lasers and optics, biofuels, solar energy, etc.


Engineering Research Programs

Envirofit International. Manufacturer of clean cookstoves for developing economies.


Recent Clean Energy Spinoff Companies

Solix BioSystems. Manufacturer of integrated solutions and services that enable large scale cultivation of algae

Abound Solar. Manufacturer of low cost cadmium-telluride solar modules. (Founded in 2007, now 350 employees, soon to reach 850 MW production capacity).

Envirofit International. Manufacturer of clean cookstoves for developing economies.


Recent Clean Energy Spinoff Companies

Solix BioSystems. Manufacturer of integrated solutions and services that enable large scale cultivation of algae

Abound Solar. Manufacturer of low cost cadmium-telluride solar modules. (Founded in 2007, now 350 employees, soon to reach 850 MW production capacity).


The GSSE Program

The GSSE is a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program at CSU whose goal is to prepare a new generation of entrepreneurs who aim to leverage CSU’s research, technology and business know-how to create, build and grow global, sustainable enterprises with lasting impact.


The GSSE Program

GSSE students form Enterprise Teams and work in base of the pyramid markets on ventures that serve people, planet and profit.


The GSSE Program

GSEE Cohort Approach

• Annual Class of 25 students

• 50/50 split of international to U.S.

• Very experienced (average age 30)

• GSSE students are engineers, managers, scientists, economists, RPCVs & other development workers

• Assembled into E-teams of 3 to 5 members.


The GSSE Program

GSSE International Cohort Approach – Iraq, Philippines, India, Chile, Ghana, Mongolia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Nigeria, USA



• Motivation




• Assessment


Motivation for ENT Program in Eng and AgSustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers

• Most early GSSE projects were technology intensive:

• distribution network for solar lights and radios (Ghana and Peru),

• small diesel engines for irrigation (Bangladesh, Ethiopia),

• hydraulic hybrid technology transit buses (India)

• bio-diverse products from wildlife-friendly agriculture (Cambodia).

• Solutions to these problems required substantial technological expertise from engineering and/or agricultural sciences.

•The GSSE program did not include a formal means of interfacing GSSE students with engineering and agricultural science students.

• Meanwhile…no formal entrepreneurial training opportunities existed for graduate students in engineering or agricultural sciences.



• Motivation




• Assessment


NCIIA Grant and Initial PlanningSustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers

In Fall 2008, a meeting was convened at the “south office” of the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory between GSSE, engineering and agricultural sciences faculty.

In 2009 a Course and Program Grant was obtained from the NCIIA to formalize a linkage between the GSSE program and engineering and agricultural science graduate students.

The objectives of the new program are twofold:

• Instill an entrepreneurial mindset and global/ sustainable perspective among engineering and agricultural science students.

• Provide engineering/agricultural science expertise and rapid product realization resources to enterprise teams within the GSSE program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fvzdehnJA9k



• Motivation




• Assessment


Initial Planning and Curriculum DevelopmentSustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers

What are you deeply passionate

about?

What can you be the best in the

world at?

What drives your resource engine?

- Core values- Vision and mission

-Time

-Money

-Brand

Unique and valuable contribution

From Jim Collins Good to Great and The Social Sectors (2005)


What are you deeply passionate

about?

What can you be the best in the

world at?

What drives your resource engine?

Research (Sustainable Energy, Climate Change)Global Impact Base of the Pyramid

-Research funding

- Dynamic leaders

-Local community

-Legacy

Developing solutions that can obtain global impact at scale.


Although no ENT program existed within the engineering school, the College of Business has an undergraduate ENT certificate program.

Course content for the STESE course was culled and/or course syllabi were shared from the following existing courses within the College of Business:

• Social, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues in Business (BUS 260)

• Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship (MGT 340)

• New Venture Creation (MGT 420)

• New Venture Management (MGT 440)

• Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Business Strategies (MGT 496)

• Global Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship (MGT 667)

• Financing and Evaluating the Sustainable Enterprise (BUS 669)











Undergraduate COB courses











GSSE courses


Week Focus Area Content Existing Course(s) 1 Entrepreneurial

Mindset Introduction, historical perspective, entrepreneurial mindset

MGT 340

2 Entrepreneurial Mindset

E-ship and the economy :A global perspective

MGT 340

3 Opportunity Identification

Recognizing opportunities and generating ideas

MGT 340

4 Opportunity Identification

Intellectual property protection MGT 340, MGT 420

5 Opportunity Assessment

Market and Customer: Business Model and Value Chain

MGT 340


Building a Team: HR Decisions, Partnerships

MGT 340,MGT 420


Legal Forms of Business Organization MGT 420, MGT 440


Financing the Venture: Bootstrapping, Debt, Equity

MGT 420,MGT 440

9 Base of the Pyramid From Obligation to Opportunity MGT 496, MGT 667 10 Base of the Pyramid Entrepreneurial Approaches in the

Developing World MGT 496, MGT 667

11 Base of the Pyramid The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid MGT 496, MGT 667 12 Base of the Pyramid Microcredit MGT 496, BUS 669 13 New Venture

Management Managing the Early Stage Company MGT 440

14 New Venture Management

Stages of Growth, Venture Capital MGT 440

15 New Venture Management

Legal, Insurance and Regulatory Issues MGT 440

Initial Planning for ResourcesSustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers

Product development space was provided at the Global Innovation Center for Energy, Health and Environment, which is housed at the CSU Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory (www.eecl.colostate.edu).

http://www.eecl.colostate.edu/



• Motivation




• Assessment


First Iteration (Spring 2010)MECH 581/AREC 581 – Sustainable Technology Entrepreneurship

Course was dual listed (MECH 581/AREC 581) and team taught by Marchese, Graff and Hudnut.

Enrollment consisted of 40 students among 6 different majors.

The formal meeting time for the class was a single weekly 3-hour block, which was split into a weekly lecture, activity and guest speaker.

Team project was a major component of the course and accounted for over 50 percent of the grade for each student.

The 16-week semester was divided into four general topic areas: entrepreneurial mindset, product realization, base of the pyramid and new venture management.

Required readings were as follows:

• FastTrac TechVenture Entrepreneur Manual: Maximizing the Potential of your Tech Business. Kauffman Foundation, 2009

• Out of Poverty: What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail. Paul Polak, Berrett-Koehler Publishers (September 1, 2009).


Week Topic(s) Readings Guest Speaker

1 Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Development

Nidumolu, Prahalad, & Rangaswami [1]

Bryan Willson, Co-Founder, Envirofit International; Co-Founder, Solix Biofuels

2 Idea Generation and Entrepreneurs

Polak[2], Intro, Ch. 1-3

Millennium Development Goals [3]

3 Envirofit Case Study Polak [18], Ch. 4-5

Envirofit Case Study [3]

Nathan Lorenz, VP Engineering, Envirofit International

4 Identifying Customer Needs and Market Analysis

Polak [18], Ch. 6-7

FastTrac [4] Ch. 2-3

Ulrich and Eppinger [5], Ch. 4

Stephen Schmutzer, Co-Founder, Firefly Medical

5 Business Model and Metrics

Polak [18], Ch. 8-10

FastTrac[20] Ch. 4, 6,

6 In class book report discussion

None

7 Product Specifications Ulrich and Eppinger [21], Ch. 5 Lou Bucelli, Bucelli and Co, LLC.

8 Network and Partnerships Polak [18], Ch. 11-12

Ken Petersen, professor of supply chain management, CSU College of Business

1. Nidumolu, Prahalad, & Rangaswami Why Sustainability is Now the Key Driver of Innovation” Harvard Business Review, September 2009, pp. 56-64.


8 Network and Partnerships Polak [18], Ch. 11-12

Ken Petersen, professor of supply chain management, CSU College of Business

9 Spring Break

10 Design for Sustainability

Otto and Wood, Ch.15.

Justin Discoe, Co-Founder, Sprig Toys

11 Design for Affordability Paul Polak

12 Ethical, Political and Regulatory Aspects

FastTrac [20] Ch. 8

Scott Deeter, CEO, Ventria Bioscience

13 In class Organizational Profiles discussion

None None

14 Intellectual Property

FastTrac [20], Ch. 8

Mutschler & Graff [6]

Tim Reeser, COO, Cynergy,

15 Ownership, Compensation, Funding, Stages of Growth and Exit

FastTrac [20] Ch. 7 and 9

Catherine Merigold, General Partner, Vista Ventures

16 Final Presentations

1. Nidumolu, Prahalad, & Rangaswami Why Sustainability is Now the Key Driver of Innovation” Harvard Business Review, September 2009, pp. 56-64.

Team Projects (Spring 2010)MECH 581/AREC 581 – Sustainable Technology Entrepreneurship

Project Title Opportunity Statement

Fresh Point Provide a branding label indicating purified water for tourists traveling in India and locals living in well-traveled areas.

Grounds for Change Reduce the time of drying and losses in production due to contamination during the coffee drying process.

Pine Beetle Power Selling locally grown Colorado beetle-killed pine biomass for residential and municipal heating needs.

SEED The engineered 2HP diesel pumpset will give small scale farmers (≤2.5 acres) the opportunity to purchase a cost effective and easily portable device which can meet their irrigation needs.

Simple Solar Irrigation Pumps

Labor free irrigation with increased capacity and well depth provides the small farmer with an attractive invest opportunity for higher productivity

MicrobeSeed Develop a bioengineered microbe mix and waste vehicle retrofit capable of increasing landfill gas production rates for methane generation.

Thin Air An engineered, sustainable, accessible nitrogen fertilizer for small Ethiopian farms.

Village Energy A scalable energy distribution network for families without electricity in India

Upepo Maji Uhuru A simple, low-cost, wind-powered water pump that enables increased income through irrigation while limiting the manual labor required



• Motivation




• Assessment


Assessment (Spring 2010)MECH 581/AREC 581 – Sustainable Technology Entrepreneurship

Team projects were not quite as successful as hoped:

• Existing GSSE projects were either too far along (e.g. SEED) or too early stage (e.g. Thin Air) for optimal contribution from STESE team.

• Need exists to improve GSSE project “in flow” and “out flow” from STESE.

Guest speakers were viewed very positively.

Kauffman handbook was not used very effectively.

Student evaluation results were strong, but reflected that this was a work in progress:

• 14% answered “strongly agree” and 86 % answered “agree” to the question “Overall, I would rate this course as good.”

• 44 % answered “strongly agree” and 56 % answered “agree” to the question “Overall, I would rate these teachers as good”.

• 69 % answered “strongly agree” and 31 % answered “agree” to the question, “The teachers were enthusiastic about the course.”



• Motivation




• Assessment


Second Iteration (Spring 2011)MECH 581/AREC 581 – Sustainable Technology Entrepreneurship

In the second offering, we made the following changes:

• Increased focus on commercialization of IP from university research labs.

• More guest speakers from university based startups.

• Change textbook to: Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise, 3rd Edition, Byers, Dorf and Nelson, McGraw Hill, 2011.

• Venture Challenge thread in the Byers textbook used extensively for Team Project assignments.

http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~marchese/stese


Week Topic(s) Readings Guest Speakers 1 Innovation, Entrepreneurship,

and Development Lou Bucelli, Bucelli and Co, LLC.

2 Economic Growth and the Technology Entrepreneur

Byers, Ch. 1 Polak, Chapters 1-3

Amy Prieto, Co-Founder, Prieto Battery

3 Opportunity Evaluation and Product Planning

Stephen Schmutzer, Founder, Firefly Medical

4 Competitive Strategy Byers, Ch. 4 Bryan Willson Co-Founder, Envirofit International and Solix Biofuels

5 Innovation Strategies Byers Ch. 5, 11.8, 11.9 W.S. Sampath, Co-Founder, Abound Solar

6 Indentifying Customer Needs Ulrich and Eppinger, Ch. 4 Polak, Chap 4-5

Ken Reardon CTO, OptiEnz Sensors

7 The Business Plan Byers, Ch. 7 Justin Discoe, co-founder, Sprig Toys

8 Product Specifications Ulrich and Eppinger, Ch. 5


8 Product Specifications Ulrich and Eppinger, Ch. 5

9 Spring Break 10 Types of Ventures Byers Ch. 8 Scott Deeter, CEO, Ventria

Bioscience 11 Legal Formation and Intellectual

Property

Byers, Ch. 10 Mutschler & Graff, “IP Issues in the University Setting”

Tim Reeser, COO, Cynergy, Todd Headley, CSURF

12 Sources of Capital

Byers, Ch. 18

Catherine Merigold, Vista Ventures

13 The Marketing and Sales Plan Byers, Ch. 11

Book Report Due

14 Base of the Pyramid Opportunities and the Envirofit Case Study

Envirofit Case Study

Nathan Lorenz, VP Engineering, Envirofit International

15 The New Enterprise Organization

Byers, Ch. 12 Ed VanDyne, VanDyne SuperTurbo Inc.

16 Profit and Harvest; Financial Plan

Byers, Ch. 16 and17

17 Final Presentations

Team Projects (Spring 2011)MECH 581/AREC 581 – Sustainable Technology Entrepreneurship

Team Name Value Proposition

AMD Solutions Develop a lower cost, biologically based system to remediate heavy metal waste streams from mining operations.

Breath Easy Develop the next generation value added powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) control system that offers vast improvements in filter life and breathing resistance over traditional, industry adopted control systems.

EcoFuego Monitor CO and CO2 from base of the pyramid cookstoves; use the need to verify carbon credits to pay for installation of systems that reduce CO emissions through continuous feedback for user.

ADVentures Develop and design anaerobic digestion systems which will meet the waste management and energy demands of the 21st century in an efficient and sustainable manner.

PV India Develop India-based manufacturing facility for Cd-Te solar cells.



• Motivation




• Assessment


Longer Term AssessmentSustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers

Goal

Outcome Year 1

Year 3

Year 5+

Number of COE and CAS grad students per year enrolled in first-semester STESE course.

25 40 40

Number of COE and COS grad students whose master’s and/or Ph.D theses are directly related to a GSSE and/or STESE project.

6 10 10

Percentage of GSSE projects per year that result in successful startup ventures before the advent of the proposed program.

10% NA NA

Percentage and number of GSSE projects per year that result in successful startup ventures after the advent of the proposed program.

NA 25% 33%

Percentage of COE and CAS graduate students who participated in the program who are involved in startup ventures 5 years, 10 years, 15 years after graduation.

NA NA 5%, 15% 25%

The Path ForwardSustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers

AcknowledgmentsSustainable Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers

Development of the STESE course was supported by a Course and Program Grant from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA).

The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of the Department Heads of Mechanical Engineering, Management and Agricultural Resource Economics.

Open2012 new-graduate-course-sustainability-marchese

Business

engineering clean energy

solar energy

gsse students areengineers

engineering grad students

technology intensive

peace corps initiative

early gsse projects

solar lights