Technology Entrepreneurship

BAEN 506 / APSC 541

This class is designed for graduate-level students who are interesting in creating their own entrepreneurial venture.

Enrolment for 2026 is open! Enrol now on Workday.

January-April 2026 - Course Classes - Wednesdays, 6pm-9:30pm (12 mandatory evening classes)

Attend Demo Day (March 31, 2026)

Questions regarding the course? Please reach out to Prof. Fraser Pogue (fraser.pogue@sauder.ubc.ca)

About this Entrepreneur Course

This course provides students with an experience-based introduction into the lean start-up process. It is a real-life simulation of the process that founders go through when starting a high-tech company. Students will be faced with the key issues involved in evaluating market opportunities, building a prototype, designing profitable business models, producing a solid business plan, raising capital, addressing legal considerations and developing a winning team. Students will gain the skills and tools to creatively commercialize high-tech research into profitable businesses. Teams (a mix of PhD/Masters STEM and MBA) will be expected to develop credible pitches that will be made to industry professionals. D-Wave (still operating) and Recon Instruments (sold to Intel in 2015) are good examples of companies coming out of this course. Typically, at least 2-3 companies annually, continue after the course in active business pursuit.

2026 Course Syllabus

Testimonials

Sophie Nitoslawski, Forestry, PhD Candidate

This course opened my eyes to the immense potential for translating my PhD research into concrete value. The concepts gave me the confidence to straddle both academic and entrepreneurial spaces.

Hari Mahadevan, MBA 2021

The course pulled me out of my comfort zone and that was exactly what I was looking for. Most important - I learnt to avoid falling in love with the idea/solution, but instead to focus on solving important problems that people are facing.

Curtis Johnson Morisson, MBA 2015, Owner StorageBear

Class curriculums and case studies are important, but nothing beats the relationships I made with like-minded entrepreneurs in this class. It really opened my eyes.

Testimonials

Hands down TechE was the most valuable course I have taken in my academic career! It's a course that really pushed the boundaries about how I think about and solve problems. The customer discovery process was an extremely fun experience where I had the opportunity to meet many different people and learn about their challenges. I realized that academia has given me an amazing tool kit to solve problems in ways that other people haven't necessarily thought of.

Amanda Ackroyd, PhD, Founder Insporos

Testimonials

Rebecca Foley, MBA 2021

This class gave me a feeling of being more confident in my advice. I have had numerous friends and family ask me for advice on how to start a company or pursue their small business and entrepreneurial ideas. I have used the skills and concepts learned in Tech E to advise them on how to get started.

Alex Moret, MBA 2015, Owner Simply Merino

The best thing about the class was it forced us to talk to as many customers as possible. Our idea didn't gain the traction we were hoping for, but we learned how to validate, pivot and fine tune. Whats the point of making a product that no one will buy.

Julian Rhind, MBA 2015, Partner: Rhino Venture Capital

Tech entrepreneurship was the only applied, real life course taken during the MBA. It pivoted me away from consulting, investment banking or some other soulless career pursuit focused on value transfer and towards entrepreneurship which is inherently value creating. The MBA would not have been the catalyst for personal and professional growth had it not been for this course.