15.385  Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Two really cool things resonant with this week's theme

In case you haven't seen:
Heineken #OpenYourWorld ad featuring people with divergent views getting together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wYXw4K0A3g

KIND Foundation tool #PopYourBubble that analyzes your Facebook world and suggests new people to follow who will mix things up: www.popyourbubble.com

(Seeking corporate sponsorship for our book from both these folks)

Announced on 03 May 2017  5:51  a.m. by Jason Jesurum Jay

Readings for this week

This week we are going to spend both class sessions working on how to engage people in sustainability/social issues more generally, and your project specifically, building off my book (which you all have in your hands!). For tomorrow Tuesday's session, please read Chapter 1, p. 9-28. And seriously think through Exercise 2 so that you come to class with an example in mind. The other reading on cultural framing by Hoffman and Howard-Grenville for Thursday is great to have read for Tuesday but we will engage it more on Thursday.

Announced on 01 May 2017  11:26  a.m. by Jason Jesurum Jay

Assignment 3 details posted

I put the assignment 3 details in a slide under General on Stellar and here they are:
Revised business model canvas/analysis slide deck due in Google Drive, Sunday April 30th 11:59PM (15% of Final Grade). Includes:
Revised business model canvas based on recent learning and strategizing
Value proposition canvas informed by customer interviews
Social cost/benefit analyses informed by LCA and S-LCA sessions - areas of greatest impact and/or uncertainty about impact
Policy enablers and barriers to the business model - where would you make moves as an advocate to create a market for your product

Announced on 25 April 2017  4:32  p.m. by Jason Jesurum Jay

Assignment date change

Hi everyone - sorry for some confusion about assignments. The syllabus lists Value Proposition Canvas as the assignment for tomorrow. We will be working on a key piece of that canvas during class, so the assignment won't be due until the following class on March 9th. In general that will be the case for the next few classes: the class gives you the tools you need to execute the assignment listed. March 9th will get you thinking about Partners. March 14th will get you thinking about Resources and Activities.

Announced on 06 March 2017  3:40  p.m. by Jason Jesurum Jay

Class and readings this week

On Tuesday we will be addressing the "Voice of the Customer". A fantastic resource for this topic is Bill Aulet's book Disciplined Entrepreneurship (DE) and I advise everyone to buy a copy if you have not already. We have started work on a sustainability "overlay" for DE. On Stellar we originally posted a PPT version of the overlay, which may be a little hard to digest on its own. I have just posted another narrative version that should be easier to read. You might take a look at the first few sections (through Step 5 Persona, pages 1-9).

On Thursday we will have a live case with Solstice Initiative: MIT Sloan alumna and Solstice CFO Sandhya Murali will be our guest speaker. I have posted links on Stellar to their website and some info about a DOE grant they received. Please read through their website to familiarize yourself with their mission, partners, business model, and offerings. Consider the question: what problem is Solstice trying to solve?

And a reminder, as Laura mentioned in her last email, we would like you to submit some work tomorrow that comes out of our class discussions - public problem statement, stakeholder list, private problem holders, and customer segment list.

Announced on 27 February 2017  10:39  a.m. by Jason Jesurum Jay