Kauffman Founders School

Learning Paths

Nurturing the Next Big Thing

Welcome to the Founders School, an online educational resource dedicated to entrepreneurship. Through lectures and a rich curriculum, we'll give you the skills and tools to build your idea into something big.

  • Matt Blumberg, founder and CEO, coaches entrepreneurs through the crucial transitions that turn a startup into a sustainable business and a founder into a CEO.

  • Rory O’Driscoll and Kate Mitchell, partners at Scale Venture Partners, will explain how scaling differs from the startup phase, what kind of metrics you’ll need as you accelerate and what kind of team you’ll need.

  • Angel investor Ian Sobieski explains the difference between angels and venture capitalists and illustrates how to find, approach and work with angels in order to form a successful and productive relationship.

  • Demo Coach Nathan Gold’s techniques can help entrepreneurs capitalize on Q&A sessions to position their companies favorably in front of investors, customers and audiences of all sizes.

  • Jeff Bussgang, entrepreneur and venture capitalist with Flybridge Capital Partners, offers advice on how to stand out to an investor and what to watch out for when negotiating the final deal.

  • Brad Feld, entrepreneur and early-stage investor, provides valuable guidance on how to establish a board of directors who will be there to support you, direct you, and call you out when you fall short.

  • Bill Reichert, a seasoned venture capitalist, teaches you how to go beyond the numbers and use finance as a tool to help you manage your company.

  • Drawing on insights from research, Daniel Pink helps you lead, motivate, and persuade – for the betterment of your company.

  • Drawing on her experience with companies, Anita Newton provides a framework for you to use in building marketing strategies and execution plans.

  • The video series teaches entrepreneurs how to go from having a business idea to pitching a validated business model and value proposition.

  • Steve Blank explains lean methodology, providing practical advice about how to implement it in your startup.

  • Communication, priority setting, and patience can help families weather the ups and downs of an entrepreneurial venture.

  • Startups differ from big companies. Steve Blank shares the important implications this has for the early structure and activity of your company.

  • As a founder you ignore “people problems” at your peril. It is important to understand how different founding choices could make a difference, according to expert Noam Wasserman.

  • Nathan Gold teaches you to break through the massive amount of noise by communicating and presenting your ideas and business in more compelling ways.

  • Patent lawyer Peter McDermott discusses how intellectual property is a crucial asset of every company, and why it is never too early in the life of a company to consider how to make the most of it.

  • Through his own successes and failures, Craig Wortmann has come to understand that because nothing happens until something gets sold, entrepreneurs must develop the knowledge, skill and discipline necessary to succeed in sales.