NEWS

 

The Hurt Hub@Davidson prides itself on being an epicenter for entrepreneurial education. We offer a rotating selection of courses, focused on critical topics for any entrepreneur (or intrapreneur) trying to bring an idea to life. We teach lean startup methodology, venture capital basics, marketing strategy, and more. All Hurt Hub Courses are open to Davidson College students, faculty, staff – as well as the broader Davidson/Lake Norman and Charlotte community.

When diverse communities come together in the same classroom, hungry for the same information — the possibilities are limitless. Check out the 3 courses offered this Fall.

BUILDING A LEAN STARTUP

Course Length: 7 weeks
Course Dates: Wednesday nights
September 16 – October 28, from 6:30-8:00PM
Location: 1.5 hours Zoom instruction with optional individualized office hours
Instructor: Rebecca Weeks Watson (Meet Rebecca)

What You’ll Learn:

The Lean Startup approach to starting a company will likely flip your assumptions on their head. Rather than writing a lengthy business plan, building a product, and then trying to find customers, the Lean Startup approach positions a startup concept as a hypothesis you’re trying to test. It involves gathering early feedback, improving or altogether changing your product, and then scaling, so that you improve your odds of success and don’t waste your time, money or resources.

Today, almost every industry and company is turning to these entrepreneurial principles to figure out how to better serve customers, overcome market disruption and continually innovate.

Not only will you learn a strong foundation for startup operations, by the end of this course our hope is that you will have learned that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and evolving quickly are more fun and rewarding than you ever imagined.

Who Should Register:

This course is ideal for Davidson students and general community members with startup ideas or early-stage companies, or “intrapreneurs” looking to innovate inside a larger organization. If you have a curious mind, we welcome you regardless of your previous entrepreneurial experience.     REGISTER

 

RAISING MONEY: THE BASICS

Course Length: 4 weeks
Course Dates: Thursday nights
September 10 – October 1, from 6:30-8:00PM
Location: 1.5 hours Zoom instruction with optional individualized office hours
Instructor: Chris Langford (Meet Chris)

What You’ll Learn:
Every entrepreneur comes to a crossroads in their journey where raising capital is an option to help fund the startup or growth of their business.  But the capital raise process can seem daunting due to the number of options, technical terminology and lack of transparency in how the process works.

Raising Money: The Basics will help demystify the process by helping you understand whether raising capital makes sense, what forms of capital are available, the key terms and documents you will encounter if you raise equity and an overview of how a venture capitalist or angel investor will think about (and value) your business.  The class will combine lectures from a local venture capitalist, group discussions and industry rules of thumb that will enable you to leave with a greater sense of confidence in raising capital for your business.

Who Should Register:
Raising Money: The Basics was built to demystify the world of Venture Capital. Whether you are looking to raise capital for your own company or just curious about startup financing, this course is for you! No prior finance experience necessary.          REGISTER

 

MARKETING YOUR IDEA: FROM STRATEGY AND CREATIVITY TO ACTION

Course Length: 6 weeks
Course Dates: Monday nights
October 5 – November 8, from 6:30-8:00PM
Location: 1.5 hours Zoom instruction with optional individualized office hours
Instructor: Meg Seitz (Meet Meg)

What You’ll Learn:
If we’ve learned anything about sales and marketing over the last six months, it’s this – today’s customer is craving authentic and real connections with products, services, and brands. That feeling starts with how, when, and where you choose to market to them. Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated, and it’s absolutely a process and technique you can learn to navigate and manage as you’re launching your idea or concept into the world. It’s as simple as defining your strategy, getting clear on your creativity, and taking action that works best for your product or service.

In this course, you will learn the basics of marketing as well as have one-on-one with your instructor to workshop your ideas and possible marketing strategies. By the end of this course, you will feel confident and ready to take action and connect with your customers in an authentic and valuable way.

Who Should Register:
Marketing Your Idea is a great starter class for anyone who is new to marketing or thinking through their initial marketing questions or strategies; if you already have an idea or business, you are absolutely welcome, and we will leverage the power of one-on-one office hours to make sure your specific questions and/or needs are addressed.      REGISTER