Entrepreneurship for Computer Scientists
An introductory entrepreneurship course for Computer Science students. The course provides an overview of entrepreneurship, develops an entrepreneurial perspective, and provides a framework for learning the fundamentals of the essential elements of entrepreneurial ventures, specifically directed toward software-related industries and products. Students learn how to:
​
-
Develop their technical ideas into potential business opportunities
-
Explore the likelihood of potential opportunities becoming viable businesses
-
Do market research
-
Develop go-to-market strategies and value propositions
-
Differentiate their products or services from actual or potential competitors.
The course consists of a balance of lectures, projects, case studies and interaction with entrepreneurs and computer scientists who participate in entrepreneurial organizations.
Course Project
Over the course of the semester, the students worked on developing a startup as a course project. My group elected to "create" the company Helios, a mobile health platform designed to help people reach their health and fitness goals.
​
We took a three-pronged approach to develop Helios into a platform which is a cut above the rest and is uniquely suited to succeed in the modern climate. These three features are:​
1. The ability to record intake by simply taking a picture of your food, using our patented image-processing technology
2. Expertly-curated, personalized nutrition and health plans via our expert system
​
and
3. A focus on diverse and sustainable results in recognition of the myriad of personal goals those looking to improve their overall health have
Some of my personal contributions to the project at large can be found in the below sections
Branding
I developed the branding for Helios, including the name (the god of the Sun in Greek mythology, symbolizing growth and progress), the stylized name, and the logo.
The designs, which made in Fusion 360, can be seen on a smart watch below:
Minimum Viable Product
I also developed the minimum viable product, complete with UI design. Below is a slideshow containing the fundamental requirements for an MVP, as well as an example user flow through the UI. Hover over the slides to pause autoplay, or use the arrows on the sides to navigate through the slides.
Financial Projections
I developed the financial projections for Helios, summarized well in the below pages.