Duke I&E Startup Sprint

Got a startup idea — and ready to make it a reality? The Duke I&E Startup Sprint is your chance to gain critical tools, expert guidance, and a powerful community to help you launch your venture with confidence. This program is right for you if you are:  

  • Serious about turning your startup idea into an actual venture  
  • Eager to test, refine, and validate your concept  
  • Wanting to understand the right and wrong ways to use AI with your idea 
  • Looking for accountability, feedback, and a like-minded founder network   
  • A member of the Duke student or alumni community  
REGISTER FOR THE DUKE I&E STARTUP SPRINT
Agenda 

Six week Zoom series covering the following topics: 

  1. Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 – 9 pm ET Understand your customers’ real needs    
  1. Wednesday, May 27, 7:30 – 9 pm ET Define and refine the problem you’re solving 
  1. Wednesday, June 3, 7:30 – 9 pm ET Analyze competitors and uncover your edge 
  1. Wednesday, June 10, 7:30 – 9 pm ET Test assumptions before you build 
  1. Wednesday, June 17, 7:30 – 9 pm ET Form a strong, motivated team   
  1. Wednesday, June 24, 7:30 – 9 pm ET Craft a clear, actionable roadmap 

While the sessions are not recorded, the homework and presentations are shared after every session. Questions can be shared with instructor via Canvas course site and regular office hours. Participants who complete the homework, including the capstone presentation, are eligible to receive a digital badge for display on LinkedIn.  

Pricing
  • Current Duke students, faculty, staff - FREE 
  • Duke alumni - $150 per person
Facilitated by Josh Cohen 

Josh Cohen is the Director of MBA Entrepreneurship Programs and Startup Recruiting, a dual-role position supporting both Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Fuqua School of Business Career Management Center. With a passion for empowering impactful leaders, he brings a diverse background in alumni programming, executive recruiting, startup leadership, and business development. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke’s Fuqua School of Business (MBA), Josh has held key roles at TransLoc, a startup that was eventually acquired by Ford Motor Company. He is also the author of Leadership Upside Down and Starting a Mission-Driven Podcast: Nine Questions to Ask Before You Get Started.. 

Important information about this virtual event: 
  • To avoid privacy issues, do not share or forward the Zoom credentials below. 
  • Join a few minutes before the meeting to familiarize yourself with the platform and have sufficient time to solve any technical difficulties. 
  • Please be courteous during the event. The event hosts reserve the right to disconnect anyone from the meeting.   
How you can make the most of this program:
  • Be present. Keep your camera on and be present. Actual humans will be accepted into the Zoom room; Otter.ai and other transcription tools will not be allowed.   
  • Engage and interact. This is an interactive program that includes Zoom breakouts into small groups during every session. These breakouts allow for deeper engagement and collaboration, and active participation in the breakout sessions is encouraged and expected.   
  • Do the homework. You’ll get out of this course what you put into it. Every week, you’ll have homework to help ensure you are making progress towards your startup goal.  Those that complete a majority of the homework and the final capstone project are eligible for a digital badge that can be added to LinkedIn.    
Questions about Startup Sprint? 

Email Josh Cohen at josh.cohen@duke.edu