Class Intro
No reading.
ENG 8 · Schedule
Week by week
Topics, readings and write-ups for a typical quarter. Topic order can shift slightly from quarter to quarter.
Exact dates and deadlines live on Canvas. This plan describes the sequence only. Open Canvas.
Week 1
What Is Entrepreneurship? and the Business Model Canvas
- What’s a Startup? First Principles. (opens in a new tab) · Steve Blank
- Entrepreneurship: A Working Definition · Harvard Business Review See Canvas for the link
- The Business Model Canvas · Steve Blank video See Canvas for the link
Week 2
Team Formation Day
- Requests for Startups (opens in a new tab) · Y Combinator
Jobs to Be Done
- Know Your Customers’ Jobs to Be Done · Harvard Business Review See Canvas for the link
Problem Statement
- How to Get Startup Ideas (opens in a new tab) · Paul Graham
- Why Smart People Have Bad Ideas (opens in a new tab) · Paul Graham
Problem Statement
Builds on this week's sessions. Due the week after them, with the exact deadline on Canvas.
Week 3
Solutions
- No Plan Survives First Contact · Steve Blank See Canvas for the link
- Get in the Van · First Round Review See Canvas for the link
Minimum Viable Product
- IDEO shopping cart prototyping · IDEO video See Canvas for the link
- Google Glass prototyping video See Canvas for the link
Using AI Well in the Startup World
In Fall 2026 this session had a guest from the Graduate School of Management.
- A guide to using AI · Ethan Mollick See Canvas for the link
- CNBC on YC growth · CNBC See Canvas for the link
Solution
Builds on this week's sessions. Due the week after them, with the exact deadline on Canvas.
Week 4
Value Prop (Customers)
- The Customer Development Manifesto · Steve Blank See Canvas for the link
- First Round on positioning · First Round Review See Canvas for the link
Customer Segments
- Market segmentation videos · Bill Aulet video See Canvas for the link
Customer Relationships
- HBR on customer relationships · Harvard Business Review See Canvas for the link
- First Round on sales · First Round Review See Canvas for the link
Customers
Builds on this week's sessions. Due the week after them, with the exact deadline on Canvas.
Week 5
Beachhead Market
- MIT piece and video on beachhead markets · MIT video See Canvas for the link
Market Size
- TAM, SAM and SOM · Carta See Canvas for the link
- TAM video video See Canvas for the link
- Leslie’s Compass See Canvas for the link
Go-to-Market and Product-Market Fit
New in Fall 2026.
- How to Know If You’ve Got Product-Market Fit (opens in a new tab) · Lenny Rachitsky
- Before Growing Your Startup (opens in a new tab) · Y Combinator
Market Opportunity
Builds on this week's sessions. Due the week after them, with the exact deadline on Canvas.
Week 6
Competitive Advantage
- 12 Things About Product-Market Fit · a16z See Canvas for the link
- Google Maps lessons See Canvas for the link
- Pattern Breakers book See Canvas for the link
Disruptive Innovation
- What Is Disruptive Innovation? · Harvard Business Review See Canvas for the link
- The Innovator’s Dilemma video See Canvas for the link
Pitching
- Founder Institute on pitching · Founder Institute See Canvas for the link
- First Round on VC partner meetings · First Round Review See Canvas for the link
Competitive Advantage
Builds on this week's sessions. Due the week after them, with the exact deadline on Canvas.
Week 7
Revenue Models
- Founder Institute on revenue models · Founder Institute See Canvas for the link
- First Round on the Business Model Canvas · First Round Review See Canvas for the link
Pricing Models
- Startup Pricing 101 · Y Combinator See Canvas for the link
Growth (Traction)
- Do Things that Don’t Scale (opens in a new tab) · Paul Graham
- Startup = Growth (opens in a new tab) · Paul Graham
- a16z on startup metrics · a16z See Canvas for the link
Revenue Model, Pricing Model and Traction
Builds on this week's sessions. Due the week after them, with the exact deadline on Canvas.
Week 8
Team: Rich vs. King
- The Founder’s Dilemma · Harvard Business Review See Canvas for the link
- Founder Superpowers See Canvas for the link
Team: Radical Candor and Founder Mode
- Radical Candor · First Round Review See Canvas for the link
- Founder Mode (opens in a new tab) · Paul Graham
Team
Builds on this week's sessions. Due the week after them, with the exact deadline on Canvas.
Week 9
Value Prop (Investors)
- The Meeting That Showed Me the Truth About VCs · TechCrunch See Canvas for the link
- Make No Little Plans · Steve Blank See Canvas for the link
Investors, Exits and pitch preparation
The order of these sessions is still being set, so check Canvas.
No reading.
Week 10
Investors, Exits and pitch preparation
These sessions run through the end of the quarter. The order is still being set, so check Canvas.
No reading.
How Will You Measure Your Life?
The closing session.
- How Will You Measure Your Life? · Clayton Christensen See Canvas for the link
Investors and Exit Strategy
Builds on this week's sessions. Due the week after them, with the exact deadline on Canvas. The timing of this write-up is set on Canvas.
Where is this heading?
Every write-up becomes a slide, and the eight slides become your final pitch.