PITCH@SCHOOL THAILAND
Course Description
1. Course Description
Pitch@School Competition is a business pitch development programme for students. This course aims to develop students’ mindsets on innovation and creativity, to discover, evaluate and take action upon new opportunities. Students are expected to demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset over the course of the programme, and will pitch solutions for real-world problems by submitting a pitch deck and video recording. Top teams will be chosen to deliver their ideas to a panel of judges.
Rationale: This programme provides students with the foundation of entrepreneurship, allowing them to identify natural aptitudes while gaining key 21st century competencies needed for personal and professional development.
Technology Requirements: Laptop with camera and microphone. Internet connection that is able to run video calls.
2. Course Learning Objectives
Course Learning Goals:
• Identify and refine problems to solve by applying empathy and user discovery tools.
• Apply creative ideation methods to discover innovative solutions that solves a user’s problem.
• Actively build a plan for solution implementation.
• Pitch innovative solutions in a confident and compelling way.
Specific Course Learning Objectives:
By the end of the four to eight weeks, students will complete the following topics and be able to:
1. Startups
- Students learn what makes startups unique and different from other kinds of businesses. They will understand their personal aspirations and how they align with entrepreneurship.
2. Empathise
- Students will understand the importance of applying empathy so as to build innovations that really help users. They will cultivate empathy by applying techniques to observe and empathise from the users’ perspective.
3. Evaluate
- Based on observations during Empathise, students will be guided to evaluate and decide on the most important user problems to solve.
4. Define Problem
Students will learn that providing value through solving user problems is the heart of any innovation. In the end, they will define a problem statement which will give them clarity on their focus area.
5. Innovate Ideas
- Students will be guided to utilise an idea-generation process that produces and prioritises innovative solutions to their problem statements.
6. Build Solution Plan
- Students will be guided through a structured process to realise their innovations. They will first focus on sketching and discussing key components of their innovation, before laying out their process for implementation in their final pitch decks.
7. Pitch and Presentation
- Students will prepare and deliver a compelling presentation to communicate their innovation effectively.
8. What’s Next
- Students will reflect on what they've learnt throughout the process, and also propose next steps to improve and continue working on their innovations.
Mapping to Program Learning Outcomes by Week:
Week 1:
- Define personal aspirations and how they align with entrepreneurship and discuss how to overcome doubts about starting up.
- Differentiates startups from other kinds of businesses.
- Develop skills of empathy and observation to understand and map out user pain points.
Week 2:
- Define and analyse a chosen problem and identify opportunities.
- Breakdown and refine the identified opportunity.
- Articulate a concise and focused problem statement that will guide the direction for the remaining programme.
- Ideate solutions for the challenge statements. Prioritise and select a solution.
- Describe the solution and unique value proposition in a clear and compelling statement.
- Submit Draft Pitch Deck and Two-minute Video Recording for Mentor Feedback.
Week 3:
- Account for feedback given by mentors.
- Identify core features and visualise the chosen solution.
- Outline key points for pitch deck outline including company tagline, vision, problem, customer, solution, and core features.
- Illustrate key points using simple and clear visuals.
- Develop a narrative to communicate key points clearly and succinctly, including data to support as evidence.
Week 4:
- Demonstrate clear verbal communication through practice.
- Record and edit final pitch video.
- Submit Draft Pitch and Three-Minute Video Recording for Mentor
Week 5:
- Account for feedback given by mentors and make final changes and updates.
Submission Day
- Submit Final Pitch Deck and Three-minute Video Recording 3. Format and Procedures
3. Format and Procedures
Learning will be carried out through a self-paced virtual programme and mentorship consultations.
● Self-Paced Virtual Programme: Students will login to the Pitch@School platform where they will have access to content, templates, and online network.
● Mentorship Consultation: Each team will be designated a mentor who they will be free to contact throughout the duration of the programme. Mentors will provide feedback on Pitch Draft submission every 2 weeks.
4. Instructor Assumptions
The learning materials provided covers many topics that students can master on their own. If students have any questions, they are encouraged to conduct research on their own or seek help from the mentor.