New Ventures: Develop — An Immersive Startup Course Built for You
Every spring, students from across Duke roll up their sleeves to turn bold ideas into real ventures. New Ventures: Develop, taught by Prof. Jamie Jones and Max Stern, is both a class and an academic incubator. Keep reading if you’re curious about what it takes for Duke students to move from concept to company.
“New Ventures: Develop was the most rewarding part of my time at Duke. The incubator environment made entrepreneurship feel attainable.”
— Andrew Kroening, MS ’24
This course is designed to push your ventures past the “idea stage” and into action. Over twelve weeks, students work in teams to test business models, challenge assumptions, refine financials, and practice building resilient teams. You’ll learn from faculty and classmates with backgrounds in engineering, policy, medicine, tech, and more. Expect sticky notes, coffee-fueled strategy sessions, real customer calls, and the thrill of seeing your venture take shape.
Why it Matters
Self-described entrepreneurs, social innovators, data scientists, and MBAs have all found their footing in this course. For some, it sparks the courage to pursue a venture after graduation. For others, it offers a toolkit they’ll use in future careers in corporate innovation, consulting, banking, venture capital, and beyond.
“The hands-on approach, along with Professor Jamie Jones and Max Stern’s guidance, helped us refine our strategy and clarify our unique value proposition. Those insights directly enabled Betacare’s expansion into East Africa.”
— Runo Obafemi, MBA ’25
The Impact Ahead
The ventures that emerge from this course go on to raise funding, expand across continents, and shape industries. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and join a community of builders, this is your chance to move from idea to impact.
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Don’t just study entrepreneurship, experience it.
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