Learning Entrepreneurship Through Experiences at Chalmers University of Technology

Discover how the Entrepreneurship and Business Design program engage students with entrepreneurial challenges.

Chalmers University of Technology offers a unique program in technology management called Entrepreneurship and Business Design master’s program, which is open to students from different backgrounds of studies. It’s filled with real entrepreneurial challenges, solving business cases, engaging activities, and workshops.

1. The startup challenge

A week into my master’s, the course instructor divided us into temporary teams to take part in “startup challenge”. Each team got 100 SEK (yes, only!) as a "soft loan" from the program to start and run a business for about a week. The teams were instructed to make as much money as possible through legal business activities within this small timeframe using the resources that they had. The team that made the biggest amount of money won!

All of us got a chance to know each other through this enjoyable real-life learning experience. In our class, all teams came up with various different ideas some of which succeeded and some of which failed. Some activities were selling snacks on campus, doing digital work for companies, creating designs and art, etc.

My team made social media templates and sold them to a digital marketing company. At first, we thought of doing a networking event for the new students which did not work on such short notice so we had to come up with different ideas. In the end, my team made more than 4200 SEK! Most importantly, I communicated and engaged with people and learned about the Swedish market, their needs and lifestyle, and organizing and working with a new team. In just one week, we brainstormed ideas, ran small businesses, took decisions together, created financial documents and even made business presentations!

2. Business creation lab

This master’s program is designed for us to learn in an experiential manner. The entire first semester is dedicated to the opportunity to learn about business creation. Different courses around intellectual property, technology-based initiatives, technological innovations, and markets are taught through theory and practice. We usually collaborate in teams to create a complete business plan from zero using patents given by the program. We learn about organizing innovation, management strategies as well as financing businesses. During this first semester, we learn to connect academic theories with their actions. Going through all the stages of a tech-based startup is a challenging yet fulfilling experience.

3. Choosing different tracks

The second year consists of two tracks: Technology Venture Creation (TECH Track) and Corporate Entrepreneurship (CORP Track). Both tracks have similar learning outcomes with different approaches to gaining experience. We chose our tracks at the beginning of the program.

Real venture creation

The TECH Track students create their own ventures in the second year. They partner with idea providers, R&D departments of different innovative firms, and they give those ideas a real form of business. Most of these startups often collaborate with Chalmers Ventures (an incubator and seed-investor owned by Chalmers) which supports the startups. This side of the program contributes a lot to the startup environment in Sweden. Students have to do their master’s thesis on the ventures they create. They have the opportunity to continue working and growing their projects after completing their studies at Chalmers as well. The startups can be in any type of industry, with one thing in common — they have to be innovative.

Entrepreneurial leadership lab

In the final year, the CORP Track students have the opportunity to work on innovation projects in large firms and corporations. Run by the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership, the students drive their own projects in organizations to create great impacts in people’s lives.

Collaborating with partner firms, the students get to work with top management and learn different organizational and managerial values, and corporations get fresh perspectives and know students. Like the TECH students, this track’s students also write their master’s thesis on their projects besides gaining work experience which helps greatly upon completing the degree.

I chose the Corporate Entrepreneurship Track because I want to learn how big firms can manage innovation and balance the structure of their firm. With the advancing world, companies have to adapt to different changes to remain on top. My past experiences in market analysis and currently gained knowledge of technology management will help me pursue my career where I can help companies adjust themselves to ongoing changes!

This all sounds exciting, right? It is indeed a fun-filled program, and at the same time, it’s quite challenging. You have to invest a lot of time and effort into the tasks at hand as this is not only on paper; you get to see the results in front of you. If you love challenges and enjoy learning through doing, then this might be a fantastic option for you. So, make sure to check out the Entrepreneurship and Business Design master’s program at Chalmers!