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Innovation & Entrepreneurship

For Aspiring Entrepreneurs & Corporate Innovators

Learn how to develop and create a business idea that will iterate and evolve, while gaining the skills and knowledge needed to launch and run a successful business with the Applied Diploma in Innovation & Entrepreneurship program. Each module takes the foundations learned in the core Innovation & Business Ideation course and puts real-life operations, sales & marketing, financial management, or communications lens, on the business idea you and your classmates have decided to pursue.

The Innovation & Entrepreneurship program gives you the option to participate in a practicum. This includes the advantage of Canadian startup experience through a 160-hour practicum with one of our startup partner organizations. You will get to experience and learn things firsthand by partaking in roles and responsibilities where you will apply the knowledge and skills you have learned in the program.

Course Breakdown

Course: Innovation & Business Ideation*

# of Weeks: 4

# of Hours: 80

Course: Business Communications*

# of Weeks: 4

# of Hours: 80

Course: Marketing for Startups & Product Launches

# of Weeks: 8

# of Hours: 160

Course: Global Business Strategies

# of Weeks: 8

# of Hours: 160

Course: Execution & Management

# of Weeks: 8

# of Hours: 160

Course: Financial Management

# of Weeks: 8

# of Hours: 160

Cooperative Work Practicum (Diploma Only)

# of Weeks: 40

# of Hours: 800

Capstone Project (Certificate Only)

# of Weeks: 3

# of Hours: 60

*Pre-requisite courses
The order in which students will take the courses, after completing the required Innovation and Business Ideation Course, will vary based on the student’s chosen start date. Contact us for the course delivery schedule.

Program Outcomes

By the end of this program you will be able to:

  • • Develop a business idea that is aligned with your passion and personal values
  • • Create a prototype/Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to validate a business idea
  • • Create customer user profiles
  • • Develop a sales process
  • • Create a marketing plan that corresponds with sales goals
  • • Identify the opportunities and challenges of a business model through a global perspective
  • • Hire, fire, and most importantly, retain employees
  • • Manage both human and capital resources
  • • Communicate with your accounting team and understand the elements of financial statements
  • • Define key financial and startup metrics to measure growth and traction
  • • Develop and manage a comprehensive cash-flow budget
  • • Develop your fundraising strategy
  • • Understand the fundamentals of capital raising and how to pitch your idea to potential funders and investors
  • • Identify the legal needs of your startup and start planning an IP strategy
  • • Operate as an effective team leader
  • • Communicate through empathy and leadership with business stakeholders, such as investors, employees, and potential customers

What Our Students Are Saying

Innovation & Entrepreneurship student, Andres Puentes, shares his experiences as an entrepreneur in Vancouver and how GSS is supporting his journey.

Admission Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Language Skills: International students must demonstrate Level 14 English with Tamwood Careers’ online test and interview. The online test and interview are exempt if CEFR C1, Academic IELTS 5.5, TOEFL 95, Duolingo 105, TOEIC 945, Tamwood Language Centre’s Tamwood Level 14 or ILAC’s Level 14 is presented.

*Students who need to improve their English skills before getting admitted to this program can take English courses at Tamwood Language Centres.

Lab Classes in Global Startup School

In every course in the Global Startup School, students attend a combination of lecture classes and laboratory classes. Laboratory classes in these programs provide students with first-hand experience with course concepts and with the opportunity to explore methods used by entrepreneurs in their businesses. In lab class students work on assignments with support and guidance from a qualified lab instructor. Guest speakers and field trips are also included in lab classes from time to time, to give a deeper insight into the practical application of the business concepts taught in lectures and to facilitate the development of connections with the local startup ecosystem.

Goals of GSS Laboratory Classes:

  • Develop intuition and deepen understanding of concepts.
  • Apply concepts learned in class to new situations.
  • Develop critical, quantitative thinking skills.
  • Develop experimental and data analysis skills.
  • Practice collaborative problem-solving.
  • Exercise curiosity and creativity by designing a procedure to test a hypothesis.
  • Test important rules.
  • Learn from experiences shared by guest speakers.
  • Attend field trips to build connections with the local startup ecosystem.

Go Beyond the Classroom

Go Beyond - Guest Speaker

Guest Speakers

Go Beyond - Field Trips

Field Trips

Go Beyond - Mentoring

Mentoring

Go Beyond - Pitch Night

Pitch Nights

Go Beyond - Workshops

Workshops

Go Beyond - Community Events

Events

Career Occupations

Graduates of this program will be prepared for positions like marketing and public relations managers; Human resources managers; Other administrative services managers; Administrative officers, Business development officers and marketing researchers and consultants.

Practicum Experience

Students in the Applied Diploma with Practicum benefit from an 8 week (160 hours) internship in a Canadian startup. This unpaid practicum allows you to experience what it is like to work in the fast-paced and ever-changing startup environment. See how other entrepreneurs apply their skills to a new concept and help them launch and scale.

Visit our Work While Studying page to read more about the services and support you can access as a practicum student.

Meet The Teacher(s)