This course is a continuation of Foundations of Design and Entrepreneurship (FDE) I and aims to build on the work done through business simulations on the solution concepts developed. The venture teams will start the semester with continued prototyping, developing and testing their Minimum Viable Products (MVP), launching their venture concept and running post-launch promotions, all the while learning about the key entrepreneurship concepts that pertain to the various activities performed in this course. However, the venture teams will not be registered legal entities during the period of the class (perhaps afterwards). Hence, we refer to the nature of the business the venture team conducts during the semester as a business simulation.

To elaborate on the process, by conducting Customer Discovery, Customer Validation and exploring Customer Creation and Company Building hypothetically, FDE II teams can test and update their business concepts into validated business ideas that can potentially be explored post FDE. The testing process is iterative as teams will need to incorporate new information or pivot based on outcomes from testing in the rather continuous customer development process. Such informed customer discovery, validation and creation activities will reveal the viability of the business concept and therefore help the team determine if a business concept has prospects for company building or not by the end of the semester. The simulation process therefore provides a rigorous experiential learning corridor through which FDE teams encounter, experience and process relevant business knowledge for business venturing in entrepreneurship (as well as in intrapreneurship at the corporate level).

Towards the end of the semester, students will be guided in determining how they will transition out of the FDE program after two semesters. If they determine that their business venture should go into the Company Building phase, they will have the opportunity to enroll in the student led Ashesi Startup Lab. If they decide that they are not interested in pursuing the venture, the team will be assisted in exiting the simulation, resolving inventory and closing the books.