All students enroll in the signature program course for one Duke credit. No pass/fail option or auditing is permitted. 
 

I&E 271A* / ECON 281A / MMS
Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise 
(SS) 1.0 Credit

At its core, entrepreneurship is creation. It is not the marginal improvement of the status quo, but instead bringing an idea into the world that did not previously exist. Ultimately, it is the intersection of conception and execution.

This exploratory course is primarily focused on the conception and early-phase execution issues that are core to the entrepreneurial lifecycle. The skills required to conceive of a new idea and initially move it into reality are fundamentally different than the skills required to grow an existing business into a large-scale, efficient organization. Entrepreneurship is not running a large business on a small-scale, but instead the process of creation. We will be analyzing explicitly the feedback between creation and execution. A cornerstone of this course is experiential learning designed to put you in entrepreneurial situations that will require the use of the tools we will be covering throughout the term.

The course also explores the culture of innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship which has resulted in Silicon Valley being a hub for new technology and startups. Consideration will be given to if/how the Silicon Valley culture can be duplicated in other parts of the world, particularly as many Silicon Valley firms expand around the globe, as well as move into a hybrid workplace environment.

Prerequisite: No prior coursework is required and the program is open to all majors. Students should not be deterred from applying if they have not previously taken relevant coursework.

*Relation to I&E Certificate: This course satisfies either the gateway or elective course requirement for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate program.

Meals

Breakfast is included each day at the hotel.  Lunch or dinner is included a few times a week when a meal is part of a required activity.  Students will need to make their lunch or dinner when a program activity is not occurring. Kitchenettes are provided in each room.

Accommodations

Student accommodations in Silicon Valley will be near major technology companies and office parks, to provide easy access to the entire San Francisco Bay Area.

Students who are not enrolled in the Duke in Silicon Valley program will not be permitted to share housing with enrolled students.

Attendance is required at all classes, excursions, and group events. Given the intense nature of this program, late arrival and/or early departure is not permitted.

• Arrival: May 12, 2025 (Tentative)
• Departure: June 7, 2025 (Tentative)

Flights

You will make your own travel arrangements to and from the program site. You are expected to arrive on the arrival date cited above.

Housing Before/After

You will need to make your own housing arrangements if you will be arriving before the program start date or leaving later than the program end date.

Before applying to this program, you should assess and determine if you are physically or emotionally able to participate in the following physical demands required by some of this program’s activities:

• Walking approximately a mile in a day, sometimes for two or more days in a row, sometimes on hilly, uneven, or cobbled terrain
• Climbing and descending stairs
• Using public transportation, including sometimes crowded buses or trains
• Standing during tours and site visits
• Entering into older buildings with narrow and sometimes steep staircases, at times with limited or no access to elevators
• The possibility of warm/hot temperatures while residing in locations without air conditioning

If you have questions or are concerned about these or any other program activities, please contact the Duke Office of Global Health and Safety (oghs@duke.edu)