UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS

College of Information Technology and Computer Science

MODULE in Technopreneurship

COURSE : TECHNO 100

COURSE TITLE : Technopreneurship
COURSE CREDITS : 3 units
CONTACT HOURS/ WEEK : 5 hours/week
PREREQUISITE :

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course provides basic concepts on Technopreneurship focusing on the

nature, environment and risks of new venture formation and building startup
businesses. This course will help students understand the process, challenges, risks
and rewards of starting up a new business by equipping them with the tools
required to start their own business to improve their chances of successfully
starting their own business.

COURSE OUTCOMES:

1. Understand the world of Technopreneur & Entrepreneur and experience

the entrepreneurial process from the generation of creative ideas.
2. Develop creative solution to a key problem
3. Create a business plan including the ability to:
Þ analyze market opportunities
Þ develop a business model and strategy
Þ form and work successfully in a team
4. Present the business plan to a panel of investors/judges
UNIT 2
Creativity, Design and Innovation

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this module students are expected to:
1. To generate, identify and evaluate real business ideas.
2. To determine and execute design thinking process.
3. To create and validate business model canvas.

MATERIALS:
PowerPoint Presentation
Videos
Worksheets
URL links

Lesson:
TOPIC 1: Opportunity Identification, Analysis and Selection

“Every business is birthed out of an idea which was transformed into an

opportunity”

1.1 What is a business idea?

Every business is born from an idea. Idea is the source of every business

“A business idea is a short and precise description of the basic

operations of an intended business.”

A good business starts with a good business idea. Before an idea

becomes good for business it must become an opportunity. A good
idea is nothing more than a tool in the hands of an entrepreneur.
Finding a good idea is the first of many steps in the process of
converting an entrepreneur’s creativity into an opportunity.

1.2 What is an opportunity?

In a business sense, it is an idea that has commercial potential.

Something you can make money with, develop a business around it, or create value
with it.

What kinds of opportunities you should focus on?

Bad ideas are not always bad…………

Recreation of Peter Thiel’s venn diagram of good startup investments

1.3 Where this Opportunities Come From?

When is an idea an opportunity?

• Create or add value to customer.

• Solve a significant problem, removing a pain point or meeting demand.
• Have robust market, profit margin and money marketing.
• Good fit with founder & management team at the right time & place

How to Identify an Opportunity?

Observing the Solving the Problem Finding the Gaps in the

market Market

Opportunity Analysis

Focus on idea and market of the idea.

Talk to industry leaders and players in the same space as the idea.

A typical opportunity analysis plan has four sections:

1. Description of the idea and its competition.

2. Assessment of the domestic and international market for the idea.
3. Assessment of the entrepreneur and the team.
4. Discussion of the steps needed to make the idea the basis for a viable
business venture.
1.4 Generating a business idea

Business ideas are identified through positive, creative thinking. They can
come from different sources such as ideas built on local resources, local
needs, local activities, interests and hobbies.

Before a business begins it goes through two fundamental stages; problem

identification and solution generation.

Stage 1: Problem identification

Every business exists to solve a specific problem. Identifying and defining a
problem is the first step in generating a business idea.

How do we identify potential business problems?

• Research
• Brainstorming
• Brain writing
• Mind-mapping
• Through conversations
• Observations, etc.

Reflection - What problems can we identify in our:

a) Homes
b) Schools
c) Neighbourhood / Communities
 d) Churches
e) Workplaces

Stage 2: Solution generation

Every problem has a solution. The solution to every problem is a potential

business idea.
To solve problems, solutions (ideas) must be generated. The process of
generating solutions / ideas is CREATIVITY.

1.5 Evaluating and selecting ideas

Before a problem can be solved, there should be an application of a solution.

Prior to selecting the best from the alternatives, all possible solutions must be
evaluated. The best option must be selected.

The best option becomes a business opportunity.

Not every idea is an opportunity. A good idea does not always translate into
an opportunity. Finding a good idea is the first step in the task of converting an
entrepreneur’s CREATIVITY into an OPPORTUNITY.

For an idea to be an opportunity it must be:

§ Attractive
§ Sustainable
§ Timely
§ Packaged into a product or service,

Finding good ideas and converting them into opportunities is a conscious,

deliberate and creative process. Business opportunities can arise when
entrepreneurs use their skills, expertise or aptitude to provide a product or
service to the market.
ACTIVITY:
1. One Day Validation

Objectives:

• To identify a possible innovation opportunity for a company using one-day

validation approach.

Guidelines:

• Find and interview potential customers and understand their problems. Fill-up
the one-day validation sheet.

Activity: ONE DAY VALIDATION

Name/Company/Role

Verify the Problem

What’s the hardest part about the

problem?

Can you tell us about the last time it

happened?
How often does it happen?

What, if anything, have you done to

solve the problem?

What are your issues with the

solutions you’ve tried?

What role would you play in

choosing/implementing the solution?
Customer Type

What do you think of our proposed

solution?

What do you think of the MVP? (from

the previous venture)
 What resources/support would you
be able to provide to advance the
tech development?

REFERENCES:

Sison, Luis G. (2018) Tech To Go: A Student’s Guide to Bringing Technology

to the Market City
https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business/identification-of-business-
opportunity-idea-generation-and-opportunity/40732

https://www.smartcompany.com.au/startupsmart/advice/business-
planning/four-ways-to-identify-more-business-opportunities/

Product Design and Development

by K.T. Ulrich and S.D. Eppinger, McGraw-Hill, New York,